Solitary
by 360Flora-sama
Summary: Earth. What is it like? If I asked, would you tell me, show me? I want to know, I want to fill the hollow feeling so badly. Please I need you to show me what it's like. To have fun, to laugh, to cry, to feel. Don't, no matter what, ever leave my side.
1. Chapter 1

This is my first Fic so I hope you all are nice. WARNING: THIS IS LENxMIKU! I don't want people to ask for LenXRin cause that's not happening, kay? I do not own Vocaliod nor the charters except for my own. This story is my however.

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><p><em><strong>Solitary<strong>_

Chapter 1

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><p><em>Emptiness. When I think of my life that is the word that comes to mind. I always get that hollow feeling when I am not preoccupied with something.<em>

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><p>I'm just sitting here, in my small grey room with a little window for light. Well, I don't think "small" is the right word to describe it. It has plenty of room for me to walk around in and stretch a bit, but at times I get a bit uncomfortable and feel a bit…what's the word? Restricted? Confined? I don't really know, but it's something like that.<p>

I get up and make my way towards the window for one of my favorite things. The sky. When I look up at the sky I inhale deeply. Looking up at the pink sky with what little clouds there are, somehow relaxes me. I'm not sure why though. The sky is almost always like that that here on Karoen.

Karoen is a planet in the 12th galaxy. It's not very big; in fact it's pretty small according to the professors. I have never left the facility let alone this room so I don't know for myself.

The facility is where I was born and raised. The only people I've met we're my caretaker and some of the professors. They told me that my birth parents both died shortly after I was born. Makes me wonder who they were. If they were kind or if they would have taken me and raised me as any other child. My caretaker told me that I would have loved them. For some reason, I got a pang in my heart whenever I thought about them so I didn't for anymore information on them.

While I was lost in my own world, something soft brushed against my cheek. I jump at the unexpected sensation, but loosen when I catch sight of my pet, Nagi.

"Nyu," says Nagi.

Nagi is a type of creature common on Karoen. She's small about the size of both my fists. She has black fur, with floppy ears at her sides. Her eyes are usually closed but when they're open they're bright and glowing. They're most beautiful golden color I've ever seen. There are even wings on her back, which I'm told is rare.

At the sight of her I ease up. I hold out my hand and she comes willingly. I bring her to my cheek and her soft fur is so comforting.

"You scared my. I told you that sneaking up on me isn't good," I say tapping her nose with my index finger.

"Nyu~," she says as if she's apologizing.

Nagi and I have been together for a long time. When I was 7 years of age, Nagi had flown through my window and collapsed. When I saw her I went over to her and saw that her wing was broken. I didn't know what to do so I panicked and called out for someone to help. My caretaker came immediately and mended her injury. She suggested that I give Nagi to her and let the professors heal her, but I wanted to take responsibility since I was of no help so far. I took care of her for awhile then when her wing was fully healed I let her go. However the next day she cam back the next day with a fruit I didn't recognize. I thought it was just a simply thanks for healing her so I accepted, but the next day she came back again with another fruit. This pattern continued until I asked her if she would like to stay with me. It was silly, I know, but nonetheless she accepted and stayed with me ever since. I didn't mind. Having her around made things…hm. I don't know what but it was definitely a good thing.

"Good morning, Miku. I brought your breakfast," says a familiar voice.

"Big Sister!" I gasp out.

Big Sister is my caretaker. She's raised me ever since I was born, so I guess she would be more like a mother. When I told her this she got upset and said that I shouldn't call her a mother but a big sister. I never understood why, but she said it had something to do with her sounding old.

I don't know Big Sister's actual age, but she's old enough to be my mother. Her hair is pink (darker than the sky) and waist length. She taller than me by a head, so I literally look up to her. My favorite thing about Big Sis is her eyes. They are so dazzlingly and livid compared to mine. And she's so graceful and sophisticated that I sometimes catch myself staring at her.

Even thought we are close I only see her when she brings me food and for my analyzation, so when I do see her I tend to get overly excited. When I see her I run on instinct. But without paying attention my long teal hair twists around my ankle and I trip. If that wasn't bad enough, I'm only a short distance away from Big Sis so I bring her down with me along with my breakfast.

We hit the floor pretty hard and I hear Big Sis cringe. I move away from her and see my breakfast, splattered all over the wall and floor. At the sight of it my stomach tightens and my throat has a lump in it. I get fed twice a day which is enough not to starve but still leaves me hungry.

"You are so clumsy," says Big Sis as she gets up dusting herself off.

I sniffle. "I'm sorry. I-I just got so excited t-th-that I wasn't paying attention and I tripped…" my voice gets quieter as I hear my sad excuse. I couldn't help it though. I only get my two meals a day and I just wasted my breakfast.

Big Sis sighs and shakes her head disapprovingly, but with a smile. She reaches into her lab coat pocket and pulls out my favorite snack. A leek.

Leeks are a foreign vegetable on Karoen that is commonly used for an ingredient for meals, but I like to eat them just as they are. It may seem gross to other but I've always liked the taste of it. I take it out of her hand and bite off the end. It may have a bitter taste, but it's very filling.

"Ugh. I don't know how you can stomach eating it plain like that," Big Sis says in disgust.

"It's hard at first, but you grow to love it."

"I'll just take your word for it." She leads me to the other end of my room and puts me in front of one of the most interesting thing I've ever seen.

Big Sis takes my long teal hair and scoffs. "I don't know what you'd do without me. Your hair is so untamable. You have this mirror hear for a reason, you know."

"But I don't really know how to manage it."

"Well, that's why you have me. I'll be right back~" she chirps leaving.

Once she's gone I turn toward the mirror, looking at myself. I love this mirror. I always have. Well, maybe it's not the mirror I love but it's origin. I remember the day when Big Sis and the professors brought in a draped figure. I was curious so when the professors left I went over and removed the cover. I looked into it and what I saw unsettled me, so I screamed. Big Sis rushed over and asked what was wrong. I was shaking so bad that it affected my voice.

"T-th-ther-there…in there, there's a-another me!" I say in a rush.

At first she didn't react. Then she suddenly started laughing, clutching her stomach. I just stared at her. What was so funny? It took her awhile to calm down, and then she looked at me at stated laughing again.

"What?"

Taking a deep breath she said, "There's not another you. It's just your reflection."

"Reflection?"

"Yes, a reflection. To put it simply, you see your reflection on flat shiny surfaces when light is refracted off of it. Why don't you go take a closer look at your 'other self'?"

She nudged me forward and I went reluctantly. The mirror was taller than me so, for the first time, I saw myself. I was kind of shocked to see a short girl, with long teal hair wearing a white dress up to her knees. What I found most shocking were my eyes. They were a color I didn't recognize, but nonetheless I was attracted to them.

"I this really me?" I run my fingers down the mirror, feeling it's smooth surface.

"Yes and no," I was mostly talking to myself so I didn't expect her to answer. "Yes it's you, but no it isn't because it's your reflection."

"Where did it come form?" I was hoping she would answer me. If I ask a question like this she doesn't answer directly and gives a complicated response so I don't understand.

She stays quiet for a moment. I'm afraid that I had asked a question that she wasn't willing to answer.

"Earth." Big Sis' sudden response startles me.

"Earth," I breathe, testing out the name. It sounded strange, yet I was interested anyway. "What is Earth?"

"It's a planet in the 3rd galaxy. It has more inhabits in both people and plant life. It dose not, however, have as many natural resources a Karoen so we trade resources now and then."

Judging by her tone I decided that pressing the matter would not be smart. But ever since that day I couldn't help but wonder what Earth was like.

"Miku, I'm back~," Big Sister's voice snaps me out of my daydreaming. "And look what I've got."

Before I can turn around, I feel something stroking my hair. Then I feel it being tugged on the sides of my head, putting it in a style she calls 'ponytails'.

I smile at my reflection when she's done. My hair seems shorter. I like it. I turn around to tell her how grateful I am for this when I see she's hiding something in her pocket, and I know what it is.

She pulls out a needle. I frown at the sight. I didn't know it was time already. The needle contains a greenish substance. I get injected with this so I can loss consciousness. This is necessary for my analyzation. I don't know why I need it, but the professors say it's important. I understand that and yet I still don't like it.

"I know you don't like it Miku, but it's for your own good," Big Sis is trying to soothe me but her words have no affect. I still don't like it, the feeling I get after my analyzation.

"I know. I won't fight it," if I do, it'll only be harder on me. I extend my arm and she injects the serum into my right arm. Right away I can't feel my arm, and the rest of my body becomes numb until I'm staggering and fall to the floor.

My vision blurs, my breathe is uneven, and I feel myself slowly slipping. I look up to Big Sister and see her lips moving. She must be saying something but I can't process it. Then as if I had never seen the light, and envelope of darkness swallows me whole, leaving me with a hollow, cold feeing.

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><p>How was it? Good, bad or so-so? Should I continue? I need at least two reviews to be satisfied. Criticism feeds me!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

When I regained consciousness, I hear a voice. The voice isn't clear enough to make out every word, but I can understand the majority of it's words. It's deep and a bit hoarse. The owner of the voice seems to be conversating with another one.

"So you'll be able to get there with no problems right?" said the deep voice. I think it belongs to a man.

"Yes," the other voice said. This one is higher than the man's, so it must be a woman. "I'll bring the—to Earth. While I'm there I'll bring back the—needed here."

"Alright then," says the man.

I open my eyes and I realize that I am now lying in my bed. When I try to prop myself up, I am met with great pain. All I can do is turn my head, so I turn my head to check my surroundings. I don't see Nagi anywhere so I assume that she had left. I turn my head towards the mirror, then to the door. I then close my eyes, taking deep breathes. How long have I been unconscious? I never really know how long it last, but it must have been a few hours because now I'm hungry. I'll probably get some food soon enough.

The effects of the serum must have been very strong this time. That or I'm hallucinating, because I thought I had seen a crack in the door. But that isn't possible. I have never seen Big Sister or any of the scientist make such careless mistakes. Although now that I think about it, it wouldn't be impossible. I can't hear anything if the door is closed completely.

I force my body to move in the sitting position, and then take baby steps towards the door. I have to stop halfway due to my muscles screaming in protest. When I finally make it to the door, I'm dumbfounded to see that there really is a crack in the door. It's not big; in fact it's pretty small. Anyone could have missed such a minor thing. But still, how could this be? Was it really a mistake or was it because someone had just left my room. Well either way it was opened.

I part the door a little more so I can see outside. There, I see the two people who were talking earlier. The man has long purple hair and glasses, and the woman has tied up silver hair. Whatever they're talking about, it must be important because they don't seem to notice me at all.

Wait their conversation! They were saying something about Earth. I don't know much about Earth, but I do know that the people on that planet are called earthling or "humans" as they are known by few.

Thinking back, humans have always scared me. No, that's not a good word; intimidated fits the feeling better. I can't say I'm afraid because I don't know that much about them. All my knowledge of them come from the scientist and they only told me that they were like us, except (to them) we have unusual eye-hair combinations. If it weren't for that I bet we could pass as humans. Makes me wonder how much we're alike.

"Good then we shouldn't have any problems," the woman said this slowly, sounding out each word. Maybe she was writing something. "I'm going to get the transporter read and you can tell- that I'll be leaving now."

The man nods and walks away. The woman goes in the other directions. When they leave I can only stand there trying to process what they just said. What did any of this have to do with anything?

"Nyu!"

"Wa-!" I nearly screamed. I cover my mouth and look outside to see if there was anyone who heard me. When I was sure no one was there I turned to find Nagi looking just as surprised as I felt.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Nyu?"

"Nagi do you know how important it is for me to go unnoticed right now? If anyone had heard me just now, I would have to go back to…being stuck…in this …room…" Then I finally realize something so important that I act on impulse.

I immediately dash out of the room heading in the direction that woman went. I can't believe what's happening or if it's really happening, but I've already made up my mind: I _will_ leave this place. I will escape that room and all of this confusion. And if I don't leave now, I'll never have this chance again.

I make my way down the corridor until I catch up with the silver haired woman. She stands in front of a passageway imputing some kind of password. When she finally gets the door open I rush in after her to see that she has disappeared. In my confusion I look around the room in hope of seeing how she left. To my surprise I found a—well I don't know what to call it. An enormous machine, engulfed in light and colors I could never even imagine.

Completely mesmerized by the machine, I fail to realize that Nagi has been following me the whole time. She flies over to the machine and hovers next to it for a while, then calls me over.

I come over and properly examine it. Other than all of the overly complicated accessories, the wholeness of it seems so simple that even I can understand it. There are two handle facing upwards with a button on top of each handle. Above the handles is a screen that has some kind of writhing I don't recognize. I take one last look around to see if that woman could have gone anywhere else, but when I don't see her I can be sure that this is the way to Earth.

I grasp each handle and prepare myself for what I'm about to do. Nagi flies over and lands on my head, set on following me anywhere I go. I have no way of knowing for sure if what I'm doing is the right thing to do. In fact I don't even know what I'm going to do once I get to Earth. But I do know one thing: I will never regret this decision. With my newfound confidence, I take a few deep breathes, close my eyes and think to myself, 'Please, please, please take me to Earth! Take me away from here and let me be able to take care of myself!'

I push the buttons with my eyes still closed.


	3. Chapter 3

When I open my eyes, I am extremely groggy. I try to focus all my energy on what I was doing before. First, I regained consciousness in my room. Then I heard those two people talking and followed that woman. After that I…I what?

I lunge myself forward, having remembered what I did. I can't believe it! Does that mean that I'm on Earth? I look around and am met with darkness. No, that's not it. It's not completely dark; in fact there is a sort of glow that's almost soft. I look up to see where that light it illuminating from. What I see baffles me: An enormous, bright sphere hanging in the sky with little dots of light all over the sky. I stand in awe of the mesmerizing scene, when I feel something soft and wet on my feet. I look at the ground and see shredded green stuff. I back up to see exactly where I am. It looks like I on top of something that goes downwards from where I am. As I back up more, I bump into something. When I turn around I see a tall, wide…thing. I touch and I can feel how rough it is. At the top of it I see a lot of those green I saw on the ground, but they're a different shape.

"Nagi, do you see this, too?" I ask knowing she won't give me a direct answer.

"Nyu," she says. I'm not sure if I'm imagining it, but she sounds almost breathless.

"It really is something, isn't it?" My head is spinning. I feel so lightheaded and lenient. So free.

A big smile covers my face and I twirl around, taking the sweet, fresh air. I fall onto my back and get of good feel of the green stuff on ground. It's a bit wet, but it feels good on my skin. I crawl towards the large object and curl up into a ball. For some reason, I feel comfortable here. It's as if I've known this place for so long. Even if it's strange, that's the feeling I'm getting right now. Nagi makes her way over to me and lies in my lap. She's asleep in an instant. I decide to follow her lead and get some sleep as well. I take one last look at the sky filled with little lights and the large sphere, and then I begin to drift off to sleep.

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><p>"Uhhh…How long to you plan on sleeping here?"<p>

"Mmmm…" I groan and ignore the voice.

"Ugh, come on, Sleeping Beauty, wake up!" The voice sounded more aggravated this time. I even feel a hand on my shoulder, shaking me. I groan even louder and turn away. The voice sill seems to be saying something, but I just ignore it.

"Fine, I didn't want to do this but you had it coming."

I feel something grab my ear. Then it stars tugging. Hard. My eyes snap open and I yelp in pain.

"Ow!" I say rubbing my ear. "That really hurt!"

"Well you had it coming. I so kindly asked you to wake up a whole bunch of times and you just slept there like a log!"

"But it still wasn't necessary to-," I cut myself off when I look up. My eyes widen when I come face to face with a boy. Or at least I think it's a boy because he look like me, but also doesn't. He has yellow hair and blue eyes. His eyes aren't the same as Big Sister's though, his are a darker shade. The boy was wearing a white shirt with pants that had a strange pattern. He's looking at me with that aggravation I heard earlier, but with something else too. Curiosity, maybe? And with all of the things I had just observed I can already tell what he is: a human.

I guess I've been staring at him for a while because he suddenly tilts his head and smirks.

"You've been staring at me for a while now. Don't tell me you've fallen for me already?"

I have no idea what he's talking about, but it's making me nervous. My chest feels tight and I can't seem to breathe right. Then, as if by instinct, I scream. He flinches by the unexpected action, then cover my mouth, looking annoyed again. By the look on his face I think he might have had enough of me, so I stop screaming.

"That was not necessary," he sighs. "Ok, if I lift my hand, do you promise not to scream and to talk to me?" He's speaking slowly, as if he's not sure if I understand him.

I slowly nod and he lifts his hand just as slowly so that if I do scream again he can clamp his hand on my face.

"Good. That wasn't too hard. Now you can tell me who you are and why you're loitering on private property." He's speaking in that aggravated tone again.

I swallow hard, not knowing what to do or say. What _am_ I supposed to say? If I told him the truth would he be understanding or would he not be pleased. Would he even believe me in the first place?

"Can't you talk?"

"Y-yes," I sound a lot more nervous than I had hoped.

"So…"

"Hm? 'So' what?"

"_So_, answer my question."

"Uhm..." I'm really nervous now. I was right when I said that humans intimidated me, because this boy is making me feel extremely uncomfortable.

He sighs, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Look, if you don't talk, I'll have to call the police and have you charged with trespassing."

"P-police? What do you mean? I-is that something that you report to?"

"Well duh. That's common sense." He rolled his eyes, and then looked at me. "What are you an alien or something?"

"Eh? An a-a-alien? Did you see me came here?"

This time, the boy looks surprised. He takes a good long look at me and then smiles while making these strange sounds, like he might run out of air.

"Oh my God! You're kidding me right?" He looks back at me. I think he's expecting an answer so I shake my head. "Wait so you're saying you came from some far away planet and just so happen to land here?"

I nod in response. He doesn't seem to believe me. He just stares at me making a contorted face. I'm not sure how, but I felt that I had to tell him the truth now. I mean seeing how confused he was made me want to clear up the misunderstanding. So I decided to tell him the basics: what planet I'm from, what led to me coming here and how I got here.

When I finished there was a deathly silence afterwards. I put my head down and kept my gaze on my lap. I wonder what his reaction will be like. Will he believe or claim I'm lying? Well even if he does believe me, that doesn't mean anything. But even though I know that, I still get this intense feeling about it.

When I get the courage to look up, I'm shocked to see his expression: He actually looks excited!

"That's…wow. I mean you being an actually alien is just…awesome! I should've known from your hair, but I thought that might have gone in a chlorine pool one too many times! Man this is just too unreal!" He rolled backwards making that strange sound again.

I was astonished. Is this how humans act? I would have expected a more…unenthusiastic response. If it were me finding out that a human had come to my planet, I would have probably been scared out of my mind. Well maybe that's just me, but even so I still find it strange. This boy is really strange.

"Well then Miku, I guess I should tell you about myself in return for that _amazing_ story." He seems unusually giddy. "My name is Len Kagamine. I'm 15 and I'm starting high school once summer ends. I have a twin sister who looks exactly like me; by the way her name is Rin. Any questions?"

"Uhm, yes. What's a twin?"

"It's your sibling who's born on the same day as you. Anything else?" He smiled at me.

"No, not really," I didn't feel like asking more questions.

"Great!" Len exclaims. "Oh that's right, you must be hungry. I mean you've been her since last night. Here." He pulls something out of his pocket. It's a brown bar with silver writing on it. I take it and examine it closely.

"What is it?"

"Try it and find out."

I look at it once again, then at Len, then back to the bar. Len takes the bar out of my hand and unwraps the area around it. He gives it back to me and I look at what was in the inside. It seems to be made up of little squares. I take on off and bite it off a piece. My eyes widen. This is really good. It's not as good as leeks, but it's most definitely a close second. Hungry for more, I devour it whole.

When I'm finished I look at him and say, "That was really good. What's it called?"

"Chocolate. They must not have that on your planet, huh?"

"Nnn, I wouldn't know," there's a pause. Then I remember what Len had told me earlier. "Wait, what did you call this place? Private property? Does that mean no one is allowed here?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, well my family owns this hill, so unless you have our permission, you're not allowed to stay here."

"Alright." So this is a hill? Hmm, strange. The name really fits what I had in mind. Then an idea crosses my mind.

"What about this tall object?" I say rubbing my fingers along the thing I was sleeping on. "And this stuff on the ground too." I then run my hand through that green stuff.

"Well that's a tree and that's grass. Don't they have this stuff on your planet?" He looks at me curiously.

"I never got to go outside and no one told me about this stuff either."

"I see," then the silence from earlier returns. He must still be processing this because I am. Just yesterday was stuck in the gray room, never even perceiving such an extraordinary thing. I mean I had before, when I was young, but that was just a dream.

"Well your outside now," his sudden words startle me.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean since your not held captive anymore, you're free to do what you what you want you want. You might as well make the best of it. Am I right?" He looks at me with a small smile.

I blink a couple times then slowly say "Yes."

"Great," he gets up. I'm just noticing now that this whole time he was squatting in front of me. He must be sore. He stretches, "Why don't you get a feel of your surroundings."

I look around and become breathless. The dark sky fill with that glowing orb and those little lights have been replace with an even more enormous ball of light. When ever I try looking at it my eyes hurt so I can't look directly at it. I also notice that everything looks lighter. That soft glow before is gone, replaced by a bright gleam. In this newfound brightness, I can see that this hill is surrounded by many trees, but the one next to me is bigger and in the middle.

In complete awe, I'm astounded to see how much things had changed since I was asleep. It's even more beautiful than before.

"Amazing," I really hope this isn't a dream.

"Eh, you get used to it," Len seems less impressed. Then he starts walking away. I watch him leave thinking that I had done something to offend him. He turns around and asks, "Aren't you coming?"

"Coming? Coming where?"

"Duh, to my house," he says. For some reason I feel stupid by his words.

"What do you mean to your house?" I ask running down the hill to catch up with him.

He sighs (he seems to do that a lot) and turns to face me. "What I mean is that since you don't have anywhere else to go you might as well come with me."

"Huh? But is that really alright? I mean you have your family to think about," I say walking beside him.

"Yeah well…" he stops and makes a face, "yeah it should be okay." He resumes walking, "My dad is overseas so he won't be home for awhile and my sister may be a bitch at times, but she's pretty okay. The real problem is my mom."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh you'll see." He looks sullen so I think it's best to leave him be for the time. We walk all way to his house in silence.

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><p>Yay! Len FINALLY appeared! What do you think of him? I tried to portray him as sarcastic and childish, did it work? And it's a bit rushed when I read it to, UGH! He also says a swear so I have to change the rating. But guess who shows up next. I can't wait to have <em>that person<em> appear, it'll be so fun! Well that's it for this week, BYEBIES!


	4. Chapter 4

After having walked down the hill and towards Len's house, I noticed the scenery was somewhat different from the top of the hill. There were many trees, grass and other green things. I feel surrounded, but not trapped. I actually felt at ease, walking though Earth's nature. If it weren't for Len constantly reminding me to follow him, I would have gone on my own and gotten lost. I was both thankful and ungrateful for that.

I must not have been paying attention to where I was going, because I stepped on something sharp.

"Ow," I jump backwards, nearly falling over when Len grabs my hand.

"What's wrong?" He seems to be worried.

"Oh, it's nothing. I just stepped on something that's all." I try to reassure him. He looks down at my feet.

"Well I see why. You're barefoot in a forest full of crap. Watch your step, okay?" I nod my head in response, and we continue walking. The silence resumes and I try to find something to distract me. I felt uncomfortable and I needed to get rid of the feeling. I then notice that Len still has my hand. He has a firm and warm grasp that, somehow eases my tension. I don't think I have to worry about feeling uneasy around Len, and that gets rid of any negative emotions. I'm not intimidated by his presence.

"Alright, we're here." Len's voice pulls me out of my thoughts and I look up. I'm not sure how to describe it. His house is much, much bigger than I had imagined. It seems to be about 48 feet tall and 60 feet wide. I can't tell (from where I'm standing) how far it goes back, but it must be about 90 feet. The house seems to be made of red bricks for the base and it's surrounded by more of that green stuff I saw in the forest, with other colors as well. The difference between this stuff and the others in the forest, is its arrangement.

Len goes up to the door and reaches into his pocket. He pulls out a key and unlocks the door. When he opens the, he gestures his hand towards the inside and says, "Home sweet home."

The second we walk inside, Len leads me around the house showing and explaining all of the rooms. As we walk around the house, I notice that his mother isn't home. At my mentioning this, Len let's out sigh of relief. I guess he really didn't want to see her. Makes me wonder why. Then I remember his sister. What was her name? Oh, right it was Rin.

"What about your sister? Is she not here?" I look around, half expecting a girl looking just like Len to pop out of nowhere.

"Hm? Oh, she's in her room, I think." Judging by his tone, I don't think he had any intention of seeing her right away.

"So you're not going to, uhm, tell her I'm here?" I ask this slowly. Maybe it's not such a good idea.

"Ugh…Yeah I guess I should. Wait here." He trudges his way upstairs with his head down. I might have made a mistake. It probably would have been best to just ignore it, but I felt that if he didn't tell her now, he might not have at all.

I go up the stairs and peek through the railings. I see a door with all sorts of colors and writhing on that door. The door next door is almost the exact opposite. It doesn't have as many colors and it's not as decorative. Those must be Len and Rin's room. Remembering what Len had told me, I make my way back downstairs. I look around the hallway and that uncomfortable feeling comes back. Being in an unfamiliar place by myself is unsettling. I wish Len would hurry. But I guess it's not too bad. I still have Nagi—

Nagi! I had completely forgotten about her! I franticly look for her all over the house. When there was no sign of her, I rushed out the door in hopes of seeing her somewhere.

"Nagi! NAGI! Where are you? Nagi!" I start running yelling at the top of my lungs hoping she hears me. "Nagi! Can you hear me? Na—," I trip over a root and fall on my face. I groan and I try to get to my feet. I can't believe I forgot about Nagi. What if she's hurt? What would I do if I never see her again? Thousands of questions fill my mind when I hear a familiar "Nyu".

I look up and see Nagi floating slightly above my head. She's filthy, covered in leaves and dirt. She must have been in that tree sleeping and tried following Len and I when we left.

"Oh, Nagi," I grab her and hold her tight. I'm not sure if it was because of my panicking, but at the thought of losing Nagi I wanted to just…stop. I don't think I could have kept going on living my carefree life knowing Nagi was lost because of my carelessness.

"I should have known. Where I go, you follow." I hold her out and give her smile.

"Nyu!" she says happily.

"Come on, let's go back. I want you to meet Len and everyone else." I get up and try to take off the dirt that had stained me. My leg kind of hurts, but I don't think it's serious. I lead the way back to the house and when we get back inside, we hear very loud yelling.

"What is wrong with you? You bring a homeless girl, from God knows where, home with you because she's an 'ALIEN'?!" The word alien was especially loud.

"No! Just listen okay? I brought her here because she has nowhere to go, so I thought—," Len didn't get to finish his sentence.

"No, let me stop you there. If you were thinking you would have known that she might be lying!" I'm guessing this is Rin. She sound extremely upset. It probably would have been better if we had waited longer.

"But—," Rin cuts him off again.

"May I remind you that aliens DO NOT EXSIST!" Her yelling is getting louder. Nagi seems to find this irritating because she leaves the moment Rin's voice becomes unbearable.

"Fine, if you don't believe me, go see for yourself," I can't believe it, Len sounded so calm. I never thought that someone could keep their composure after going against someone so intimidating. Rin might have just confirmed my fear in humans.

"Fine, I will!" she announces. I can hear her stomping. I start getting nervous and panicky. I try to look for Nagi, but it's clear that she's left me alone to face Rin.

The stomping sounds get louder with each passing second. I mentally prepare myself for a terrifying beast, but what I see instead leaves me silent.

Len was right when he said that he and Rin look alike. She has the same yellow hair and blue eyes as him. Her hair was short but a little longer than Len's. She's wearing a white shirt like Len's and a skirt with the same strange pattern as Len's. If I didn't know any better I would have thought this was Len himself.

"Hmm," Rin stands in front of me with one hand on her hip and the other on her chin. She looks me over, circles me and then goes back to her previous position.

"Well you look pretty human to me," Rin puts both hands on her hips.

"Uhh, t-this is how, uh, this is how people on Karoen look. It's just our, err, hair and eyes that are different," I try my absolute best to stay calm.

"See, I told you." Len boasts behind his sister.

"Len, did it ever accrue to you that, maybe, she dyed her hair and has colored contacts?" Once again, Len is cut off before he can answer. "I'm gonna need more proof." She turns her attention back to me.

"Eh? Proof?" I ask nervously. "What kind of proof?"

She shrugs, "I don't know, anything really. Something not found on Earth, powers, etc., etc."

"Oh, I never thought of that." Len sounds excited again.

Rin turns sharply towards Len and he holds up his hands in defense. She turns back to me again.

"Come on, let's see it."

"Huh? What?" I've been drifting in and out throughout the whole conversation.

"Let's see your proof, that's what!" her voice gets loud again and her tone is harsh. I'm getting uneasy again and look towards Len. He gives me a big smile and holds his thumb up. I feel slightly less antsy and think. What kind of proof do I have other than my appearance? Then I remember that I'm not the only one who came to this world.

"Nagi!" I call out to her hoping she hasn't gone off somewhere. "There's someone here who wants to meet you!"

"Nagi?" Rin and Len say this in unison.

Just when I'm about to go look for her, Nagi comes slowly, if not hesitantly, she makes her way to me and stays by my side. Both Rin and Len gap at her.

"A-a flying bunny," Rin looks like she might faint.

"That is so cool," Len has that excited look on his face again.

"Nagi, why don't you say hello?"

"Nyu," Nagi says as a greeting.

"Oh my God! It's so cute!" Rin has the same look of excitement as Len and runs over to Nagi and squeezes her.

"So do you believe me now? Don't you think she's an alien too?" Len asks his sister.

"Yeah, of course I do!" she squeals. "Sorry, I was a bit harsh. It's just that Len is so stupid sometimes, that I thought you were some kind of serial killer or something," she says cheerfully.

"Aww, is that anyway to talk about your favorite brother?" Len bats his eyes.

"You're my _only_ brother," she rolls her eyes and adds "sadly" under her breath.

As I watch the two break out into a fight, I try to figure out how someone can change so suddenly. Rin went from a frightening person, to the exact opposite in an instance. I'm not sure I could handle something like that the way Len does.

My habit of staring seems to have gotten their attention, because they stop arguing and turn to face me.

"What?" They both say.

"Huh? Oh, uhm, it's just… are you two always like this? I mean you act so similar." I try to find an excuse for staring.

"We do not!" They say this in almost perfect sync, causing them to get into another argument. Rin let's go of Nagi and she flies over to me, gasping for air. I look over to Rin and Len again, and a small smile crosses my face. Even though they're fighting, I think that they might actually be very close.

"Oh yeah," Rin suddenly turns away from Len and starts talking to me. "I didn't properly introduce myself. As you should know, my name is Rin Kagamine and I'm Len's twin sister. What you don't know is that I'm older by at least two minutes: which, by the way, makes me Len's superior in everyway." She finishes with a sweet smile.

Len, staring at his sister with complete disbelief, comes over to me and says, "Don't let her camouflage fool you, she's quite vicious."

Rin shot him an evil glare that seems to prove his point. When it looks like the two would break into another fight (for the third time) I hear the front door open. A voice rings through the house, saying, "Kids, I'm home!"

At that very moment, Rin and Len stop arguing and exchange looks. In a terrified voice they exclaim, "Mom!"

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><p><strong>Flora-sama<strong>:A new chapter! Yay! I finally got to introduce Rin. How is she? Is she too mean or not believable? I love her personality because it's so fun to write, but I sometimes think I don't portray her well. And I know she did a total 180 with her personality, but that's what keeps her interesting.

Hhmm...looks like mama's coming in the picture next. Just like her daughter, I'll have fun with her personality as well. Look forward to the next chapter, you guys! Until I feel like updating!


	5. Chapter 5

Okay, after a long period of time of semi-depression from my start of school, I have updated!

I started this Tuesday and I was so not looking forward to it at first, but after seeing a lot of my friends, I realized something: I HAVE A LIFE! I spent so much time as a shut in that I completely forgot! But that doesn't mean I'll forget about Fan Fic! I will, however limit my updates to only weekends(unless there's a holiday).

Now enough about my personal life, let's get to the story! Mama **finally** comes into the picture! I really want your opinion on her and if I did a good job with her. I tried to portray her as the person Rin got her personality from, but they are definitely two different people as you should see. Len on the other hand has his own traits that he developed himself.

Ok I'm taking up too much space with my rambling, so please enjoy this extra long chapter and review!

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><p>Completely oblivious to whatever danger that was coming our way, Len and Rin grab me by my arms and drag me to the nearest closet. In my confusion I look to the twins for an answer. Len's the first to respond.<p>

"Sorry Miku, but we can't let our mom see you just yet."

"She won't even let us keep a dog, let alone an alien." Rin rolls her eyes. "Just stay here until we can get her to agree to let you stay."

"But wait, how long will it take?" I ask worried. Both Len and Rin smile encouragingly at me.

"Don't worry! If we get on our knees and beg, it shouldn't take more than 30 minutes!" Len waves his hand as if brushing off my worry.

I give a small smile and nod. With that, they closed the door and I was left in the dark with Nagi to wait for them to let me out. Given this time to think, I remember Len's reluctance to talk about his mother and I start wondering what the reason for that was. Maybe she was unkind or cruel. Maybe she would say no and I would be forced out. I wouldn't know what to do if I were turned away and forced on my own.

Just as my thoughts start reaching the pinnacle of negativity, Nagi rubs her face against my cheeks. I look at her and she looks back. I feel myself calming and reach out to her.

"I know, I know; I'm letting my anxiety get the best of me." I stroke her back and she snuggles in my palm. "I should trust Len and Rin. Yeah! Len did say it would take 30 minutes so I should just be patient and wait!" I whisper the words, but I feel as if I was triumphantly yelling them with all my might! With my regained confidence, I resume waiting. This'll be over before I know it!

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><p>Wrong. I was so very wrong. I don't know how long it's been, but after the first hour went by without hearing from neither Len nor Rin, I fell asleep. Now that I'm awake, I'm absolutely sure that more than five hours have passed since I fell asleep. And to make things worse, my stomach is keeping me from staying focused. Now that I think about it, the last thing I had to eat was that chocolate Len gave me and that was around late morning. It must be evening now, meaning I'm off my normal feeding schedule. I'm not the only one in distress; Nagi looks as if she could burst through the door at any second. It must be because of the lack of flying space.<p>

"Nyu. Nyu!" She's hovering around me, not knowing what to do.

"I-it's okay. It's okay," I say trying my best to consult her. "Maybe if we wait a bit longer we'll-" Nagi stops and looks at me. Even though her eyes are shut, I can tell she's glaring at me with all her might. "Okay, I'll go check what's taking so long."

Having been persuaded by Nagi, I stand up and reach for the doorknob. I hesitate and look back at Nagi. In the dark, it's kind of difficult to see her, but I'm absolutely sure she's coaxing me to continue. Taking a deep breath, I grab the knob and turn it slowly so that there is only a crack. When I do this I can hear a barrage of voices and other noises.

I try to open the door a little more so I can see what's going on, but when I do, Nagi rushes past me and flies somewhere.

"Ah!" I extend my hand in an attempt to bring her back, but to no prevail. I open the door just enough to walk out of the closet and look around for Nagi. I can't seem to find her and that worries me. I really hope that she isn't caught.

"Nagi. Nagi!" I call out to her in whispers, hoping I won't be heard. I slowly make my way to the living room and poke my heard around the corner. When I'm assured that no one is there I enter. I look around and jump in surprise when I see people inside a…box? I think it's a box. It's a black, wide rectangle with humans inside, moving and jumping around. I make my way over to the strange box and get a closer look. It's doesn't look like they're actually inside the box, but I can't think of any other way for them to be there.

Just as I'm about to try to touch the box, I spot Nagi no to far from me. She seems to be entranced by the box as well. I take this opportunity to try to sway her to come back to hiding.

"Nag, get over here!" I whisper not wanting anyone to hear me. Nagi seems to have not heard me at all, because she still has her full attention on the strange box. Just as I reach out to her, the humans in the box do a series of complex movements and Nagi's excitement bursts out.

"Nyu! Nyu! Nyu!"

"Ah, Nagi! You need to be quiet!" I shush her, but she still won't listen.

I then hear voices coming from the behind me. My heart drops and I'm frozen with fear.

"Did you guys hear something?" An unfamiliar voice seems incredibly loud despite the other sounds coming from the box. I guess this is Len and Rin's mother.

"Uhh…no. It was probably just the TV." This must be Len's voice. At the sound of Len's voice, I snap out of my daze and grab Nagi. However, I used too much force and Nagi shouts even louder than before.

"Nyu?! Nyunyunyu!" There's no way to hide her surprise.

"No, I'm sure I heard something. I think it came from the living room." I can footsteps approaching the living room.

"No, wait mom! It was just the TV!" This time it was Rin's voice.

I start to panic and try to make my way to back to the closet or anywhere I won't be seen. But before I can even make it halfway, I spot a woman walking in. I stop and there is a deathly silence hanging in the air. I see Len and Rin slowly enter the room behind their mother mouthing 'We're sorry!'

Having avoided it until now, I bring my eyes to their mother and get a good look at her. She's wearing a gray jacket with a matching gray skirt. Her long yellow hair is tied up in a ponytail and her wide dark blue eyes are the same as her children's. For a moment, I almost forget my situation and think of how much she and her children resemble each other. But I quickly regain the weight of the situation.

Their mother is obviously surprised, but keeps her composure. Her eyes scan me, top to bottom. After what seemed like an eternity, she final looked me in the eye and spoke.

"Who are you?" Although her tone was polite, I felt chill run down my spine. I'm completely frozen on the spot. I move my gaze to anything other than their mother, not really knowing what to do.

"I'll ask one more time: Who are you?" Her voice snaps my attention back to her. Even though her polite tone hasn't changed, her voice is more demanding. I look towards Len and Rin for help. They nervously look at each other then Len takes a deep breath and speaks first.

"Uhm, well you see mom, we were meaning to tell you…" Len laughs nervously and scratches the back of his neck.

"I was hoping to put it off a little longer," Rin mutters to herself.

"Tell me what?" Their mother's attention is now on her children, which gives me some relief.

"Well, where should I start?" Len ponders for a moment then continues, "Okay, to make a long story short; I found her sleeping on a hill, brought her home, showed her to Rin, locked her in the hall closet when you got home and we were hoping to tell you this with more detail, but…oh well." He sighed and shrugged nonchalantly.

His mother, whose back was facing me, kept her gaze on Len.

"So you kidnapped her," this sounded more like a statement than a question. Even though she seems calm, I can't help but to feel uneasy. I'm not sure how, but she's even more intimidating than Rin. Maybe it's a trait she inherited.

"Huh? No, no definitely not," he waves his hand and shakes his head. "You see she's got some…problems that led to her coming here, so I was wondering if she could stay?" His last few words were posed as a question.

His mother says nothing. Suddenly she turns to me and looks at me with cold, unreadable eyes. She walks over to me and I close my eyes, preparing myself for anything. I can feel Nagi tense up on my shoulder. I guess we're both getting ready for the inevitable.

However what actually happens leaves me dumbfounded. She puts her hand on my head and slowly strokes it. I look up to her and her once cold eyes seem to have melted.

She smiles gently at me and says, "Well why didn't you say so?"

"Huh? Uu…" I can't find the words to express my surprise.

"It's alright. I don't bite" she removes her hand and lowers herself to my level. "Sorry, I must have scared you, but when it comes to these two I had to take some precautions."

"Hey!" Both Len and Rin say this at the same time with the same expression.

"Don't 'Hey!' me. You two can be pretty reckless sometimes. You didn't even try to explain this to me, did you?" Len and Rin are speechless. Their mother then sighs and turns back to me. "By the way my name is Lily Kagamine. You can call me whatever you like."

"Uhm, o-o-okay." I manage to stutter as little as possible.

"Come on then. What's your name?"

"Uh, it's Miku Hatsune, but Miku is fine," I think for a second then ask, "May I call you Miss Lily?" I cast my gaze downwards, feeling nervous. But this type of nervousness is different than the one before.

"Of course dear." Her smile makes my heart clutch. The tight feeling in my chest is so painful that I almost cry out.

After calming down, I finally get the courage to say, "Thank you", but when I try my stomach growls.

"W-w-w-wah!" I stutter and stumble backwards. Everyone else seems to be just as surprised as me. Suddenly, Len gasps and hits himself on the forehead.

"Crap, we forgot to feed you!"

"You forgot to feed her? She's not an animal you know." Miss Lily shakes her head disapprovingly. "Honestly…" she grabs my hand and guides me to the dining room. When we're there she sits me down in a chair and goes to the kitchen. Len and Rin come in after me and sit down in the chairs next to me.

"Uhh, sorry about taking forever in telling our mom." Rin speaks up first. "We just couldn't find a good opportunity." She gives a small smile.

"Yeah, but I'm kinda surprised that she took it so well. I would've thought that she'd wanna argue a bit more on the subject." Len puts his head down, looking confused.

"It's probably because she thinks Miku's a normal person." Rin leans back in the chair. "She must think she's just got some family problems or something."

"Eh? Then shouldn't we tell her that…?" my question hangs unfinished in the air. Len picks his head up and look at me, then shrugs.

"It'd be a hell of a lot easier if we do it this way. The less we have to explain the better." I feel reassured by his easygoing attitude and relax. Nagi gets off my shoulder and sits on the table, looking antsy. She must be hungry too.

"So, uh, what do we do if she does ask?" I look back and forth between the twins. For a moment, they're silent. Then they both sigh. Rin is the first to speak.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there. For the time being, it's best if we say as little as possible."

"Yeah, and mom probably won't even ask too much." Len smiles nonchalantly. "When it comes to someone's personal problems, she waits for that person to come to her."

"Are you guys done talking now?" Miss Lily enters the dining room with a plate. "All you're whispering is annoying." She puts the plate in front of me and says "Here. Enjoy!"

I look down at the plate. There's brownish, chunky liquid next to white, small pieces of…something. Not really sure what to do, I get in close and smell. I immediately get an itching sensation in my nose and sneeze.

"Uuu…" I rub my nose, trying to get whatever that was out of my system.

Miss Lily looks confused for a moment and asks, "Have you never had curry before?"

"Ah, uh, n-no I haven't," I look back down the 'curry'. Now I'm having second thoughts about eating.

"Try it. It's pretty good." Rin points to the spoon and tries to persuade me. But before I can even try it, Nagi puts her hand into the brown stuff and eats it. For a moment she gags, but then takes some more. Miss Lily looks surprised by Nagi's movements.

"Oh my…so it's real?" She looks intently at Nagi. "I just thought it was a toy or something. What is it?" She looks to me and I freeze.

"That's just the thing Mom. We don't know what it is. When I found Miku, that thing was somewhere close by, so it must have followed us here." Len quickly answers for me. I am, once again, thankful for Len always coming to my rescue.

"Is that so?" For a moment, Miss Lily seems skeptical, but then quickly gets over it. "Well, even though what you just said has to be the most ridiculous thing to ever come out of your mouth, it'd a lot easier to just accept it." She looks back to me. "You'd better eat up before that thing finishes the rest."

"Oh. Ah, okay." After a bit of hesitation, I push Nagi away from the curry. I pick up my spoon and take a small scoop of both the brown mush and the white substance. I quickly put the spoon in my mouth and start chewing. In an instance my mouth gets a burning sensation. I bring my hand to my mouth and stifle a cry. I hear Rin giggle and look to her with tears in my eyes.

"Sorry, guess we should've warned you." She takes a deep breath and tries to control her breathing. "Curry is usually spicy, so whenever you eat it you need to be prepared for your mouth to burn like hell."

"Try to eat it a bit more slowly." Miss Lily gently instructs me and I comply. I try the curry once more, but this time more cautiously. When I finish chewing, I am surprised by the flavor of the curry. Even though the burning sensation from before is still there, but it's not as intense this time. I get a good taste of it and I moan.

"Mmm!" I take another spoonful of the curry and fully enjoy it. Miss Lily smiles at me.

"I'm glad you like it." She then looks to Len and says to him, "Len, go take a bath and prepare one for Rin and Miku."

"Fine," he gets up and leaves the room. I look to Rin with a questioning face.

"A…bath?"

"Yeah. Is taking a bath with me a problem?" She raises an eyebrow, looking unsure.

"Oh, no that's not it. I just…" I can't find the right words to describe my reluctance.

"Now, now, there's no reason to be embarrassed. It's not like I'm asking you to take a bath with Len." Miss Lily has a strange look on her face that make me fidget.

"Mom, please don't say such disgusting things to Miku while she's eating." Rin looks to her mother in disgust. "My god, you sound like an old man."

Miss Lily laughs off Rin's comment. "Okay, okay, I'll stop." She gets up from the table and heads toward the door. "Oh, Miku, when you finish taking a bath, be sure to give that dress to Rin. It's filthy." I look down to my dress and nod. Well she's not wrong. "Good night then." She now leaves the room.

Rin and I sit there for a while in silence. She then looks to me and says, "Well hurry up and finish your food and then we'll get ready for our bath." I nod in response and take another bite of the curry.

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><p><em>This feels nice.<em> I'm currently sitting in the bathtub in the upstairs bathroom. Soaking in warm water seems to have released a lot of unknown tension from my body. Rin is sitting on a stool next to the bathtub, washing her hair. Being in this relaxing atmosphere gives me the opportunity to think of what's actually happened today. I'm still not 100 percent sure of what exactly happened, but I'm glad it all ended well. Who knows what would have happened if I had been turned away.

I look down at Nagi. She floats in the water, looking as if today's earlier events never occurred. It seems that this water has relaxed her as well. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Even though everything worked out in the end, I'm still having a hard time adjusting. In my deep thought, I don't hear Rin calling my name.

"Miku!"

"Ah!" My eyes snap open and look to her in panic. "Y-yes!"

"Come over here." She waves her hand in her direction. When I look at her in confusion, she explains, "I'm gonna wash your hair and back."

"O-okay," I get up and sit down on the now empty stool. Rin gets behind gets some kind of spray. Before I can get an idea of what she's going to do, I am immediately sprayed with water.

"Kyaaaa!" I scream at the sudden action.

"Opps, sorry 'bout that. I guess this thing is set too high. Alright, here we go." She fiddles with the spray and tries again. This time the spray is much gentler and I relax. After that, she thoroughly scrubs my head with soap. As I sit there, I allow my mind to wander. I think about the future and what I'm supposed to do for now on. Somehow, I end up thinking about Karoen. I think about my room and how empty it must be without me in it. I think of that mirror, the sky and even Big Sister. At the thought of her, my heart aches. Did I do the right thing; leaving so suddenly without a word? I knew, without a doubt, that I couldn't stay in that room with a chance to leave right in front of me, but even so I can't help feeling like it was wrong. I must have been showing my concerns on my face because Rin questions me.

"Is something bothering you Miku?" I remain silent and she continues to probe. "You know, now that you'll be living with us, we might as well be friends." I look at her in confusion. She smiles and continues, "If there's something bothering you, you can tell me or Len, y'know. I might not know your exact situation or what you're feeling and, up until recently, you've probably had to keep to yourself most of the time; but it's not good to do that when there are people you can lean on." She comes close enough to face me and I can see my reflection in her gentle eyes. "So…from now on…we're friends—No! We're family! Okay?" Rin looks me in the eye and beams.

I'm stunned for a moment, but return Rin's smile. "Okay."

"Great! So are you going to tell me what's on your mind?" Rin's enthusiasm rubs off on me and I imitate her beaming smile.

"No, I won't," I say quietly.

"What?! Why not?" Rin pouts.

"Because I have nothing bothering me anymore." I say nothing more to her. She huffs and continues to wash my hair.

* * *

><p>So how was it? At the end I tried to make a touching, if not, sweet moment between Rin and Miku. Did it work? Well whether it worked or not, those two will definitely become close as time goes on. And the same goes to Lily. I'm still not too sure about Len though. Miku might be closer to the girls than him(laugh).<p>

Okay now for some shameless advertising. I have started a poll for the name of my new story. I have a pretty good idea of what I want it to be about so both choices are closely related to the story. I just can't decide between the two so I'll just let you guys decided! Anyway all information on the story is posted on my profile so if you have any comments, criticism, or just plain chit-chat, be sure to PM me!

Well then, **Au revoir**!(practicing my French XP)


	6. The Alphabet Song

Mimi-tan: HEY HEY HEY!

This is a super hacker who has infiltrated Flora-sama's fanfic account! I'm the boss now!

Jk! This is actually Flora-sama's friend who so thoughtfully broke into her room while she was in the shower and posted her new chapter! I was the one who introduced her to fanfic, so you can all thank me! =￣ω￣=

Well anyway, the reason I'm posting this chapter is because Flora-sama is too much of a wuss when it comes to her writing. I mean she's SUPER good! She really pisses me off when she starts getting all self-conscious, so I slap her across the face and yell "You stupid, talented bitch! You know damn well that you're an awesome writer, so don't get all half-assed about it!" But by then she already has me pinned, beating the crap out of me. But we love each other so... it's tough love on both parts!

Okay, somehow I've gotten off track. This chapter is like my favorite so far! It's the cutest thing I've ever read. I get the feeling Flora-sama was just embarrassed about it. Well make sure you give her your fullest support, because if you don't she might just give up on this story, and I will not have that! If she does quit on it, I will find you and I will make your life a living hell.-_-

Alright, enough talk! Read and enjoy this amazing chapter! And don't worry, I shall be back.

P.S. who remembers singing the alphabet song?

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><p>I am awoken by a series of loud beeping. I immediately jump in surprise and fall out of Rin's bed.<p>

"Owww…" I slowly rub my shoulder and groan. Rin gets up and looks around. When her eyes settle on my awkward form she laughs.

"Sorry, I kinda forgot you were here." She puts her hand on top of a device with numbers on it, and the beeping stops. She looks back to me. "Did you sleep well?"

I nod my head. I really did sleep well. Rin's bed was large enough for the both of us so we each go our own side of it. The bed itself was so soft that I could hardly believe it was real. Her blanket was fuzzy and warm, and it smelled very…sweet. At least, that's what I thought it smelled like. In a number of seconds, I was fast asleep. I don't think I've ever slept so well. Not when I was on Karoen, not when I was exhausted in the closet, not even when I first came to this planet.

Rin smiles and gets out of bed. She stretches and lets out a loud yawn.

"That's good," she head toward her dresser, "That's really good." She opens one of her drawers and starts digging through it. I look at her for awhile then to her bed. I stand and remove the blanket, only to find Nagi sleeping blissfully. I pick her up gently, trying not to wake her, and watch her stir. She must have enjoyed the bed as well.

"Miku," Rin, now out of her pajamas, hands me a folded bunch of clothes. "Change into this." I take the clothes and unfold them. They're a lot different from my dress, but if I can wear Rin's pajamas, then I can wear this too. Rin makes her way out of the room and says to me, "If you have any trouble with putting it on, call me."

Before I can say anything, she's already out of the room. I look down at the pajamas I'm wearing and remember how much I struggled with putting them on and how Rin had to help me. I don't want to go through that again, so no matter what, I have to put them on by myself.

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. **

It may have taken me a while, but I was able to put the clothes on by myself. I look down at myself and try to see what I look like, but it's not very effective.

I sit on the bed, a little disappointed. Nagi, fully awake now, is exploring every corner of Rin's room. She goes in and out, under and over, and to and from many things. I watch her so that I can know where everything is too. She suddenly stops in front of something, taking a long look at it. I go over to where she is and stop as well. What I see is a girl with long teal hair and foreign eyes, wearing a sleeveless shirt and short pants that stop at her upper thighs. I am amazed to see a mirror, just like my own. But I really shouldn't, I mean a mirror being in on Earth, its original planet, shouldn't be so surprising. Even though I know this, I get a strange feeling. I reach out and touch the mirror and I smile. It's the same smooth surface I'm used to.

Suddenly, while I'm lost in my own recollection, I feel as if I am no longer in Rin's room, but somewhere else, watching something. It goes by quickly, but I can see every detail. There are many different small, grainy materials, all in different places being brought out of their native areas. Then, they are put together and pressed and heated at extreme temperatures. The product of the melted materials is cooled and coated in a type of liquid metal.

I jump away from the mirror and look at my hand. It's the same as it was a moment ago, but feels different. Nagi comes over to me with a look of concern. I look to her and stroke her head.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." I smile and try to reassure her. I have no idea what to make of that. I don't remember ever seeing something like that, so it couldn't have been a memory. I shake my head. Maybe I'm just thinking too much about it. Last night was my first time sleeping in a bed on Earth, so my body must still be trying to adjust. Yeah, that must be it. I relax slightly and put Nagi on my shoulder. She comes happily and gets comfortable.

Just then, someone knocks on the door.

"Miku! You don't have your shorts on your head this time, do you?" The sound of Rin's sudden voice startles me. I head towards the door and open it.

"No, I'm fine." Rin laughs and grabs my hand.

"Come on," she says dragging me downstairs, "let's go eat breakfast!"

We make our way to the living room and see Len sitting, watching that box. When he sees me, he waves and says, "Good morning!"

I stare at him for a while, but smile and greet him back.

"Good morning."

"Did you make breakfast yet?" Rin comes from behind me and starts talking to Len.

"Hmm, oh yeah, it already on the table." He starts to get up. "We can go eat now."

I follow them into the dining room. The dining table has three places set along with one small plate next to another plate. I look at the small plate and ask Len "Is this for Nagi?"

Before he can answer, Nagi has already approached the plate and started eating. Len chuckles and says "Does that answer your question?"

I go to the plate next to Nagi's and examine the breakfast. It looks like a stack of…circles? There are 4 of these circles in one stack and they have a small, yellow square on top of them with some kind of liquid cascading from it. Next to the stack is an assortment of colorful objects. I can't remember their name.

As if reading my confusion, Rin says, "They're pancakes."

When I look at her she continues to explain.

"They're like these mini pan-fried cakes that are used for breakfast and stuff. You can decorate them with all sorts of things, like butter, syrup and uhm…" she looks off to the side, trying to finish her sentence. Before she can think of what to say, Len finishes for her.

"Fruit." Ah, that was the name.

Rin snaps and looks to her brother. "Yeah, that's it!" She looks back to me. "You can also use honey and cream! Basically anything that's sweet."

I look back down to the 'pancakes' and sit down. I grab an unfamiliar utensil and poke it. I look over to Nagi who is stuffing herself. She's all sticky and messy, but nonetheless enjoys the pancakes. I try to pick up a pancake but two of them come up instead. I accidentally drop the utensil and look at the splattered pancakes in disappointment. Seeing them like that makes me realize how pretty it looked before.

Len takes the seat next to me and taps my shoulder. I look to him and see how hard he's trying not to laugh. Somehow I feel even worse than before.

"It's okay, I didn't expect you to know what to do right away. Look, this is how you eat pancakes." He takes the same looking utensil I have and another and stops. He looks to me. I then grab the other utensil and the one from before and hold them the same way Len is. He briefly smiles and starts to explain.

"First you've got to position the fork and knife a certain way. Then you put your fork in the pancake like so." He demonstrates how to do this and I copy him. "Now you use your knife and cut the pancake to a good size. Do that on both sides of your fork." Again, I copy Len's movement exactly. "And voila! You've just cut your very first pancake!" He beams at me. "As your reward you may now taste it."

His enthusiasm surprises me, but I quickly recover and slowly taste the piece I had just cut.

The unexpected sweetness makes my eyes widen. The pancake itself isn't very sweet, but the syrup covering it makes up for it. It is, however, fluffy and soft. The feeling reminds me of Rin's bed and I feel relaxed. I cut another piece and get the same sensation. I smile.

"So you like it, huh?" Rin, who is now eating her own food, looks over to me. I nod and take another bite. She laughs a bit and looks at Len. "Y'know Lenny, with the way you do housework, I think you'll make a great wife one day." She puts her fork in her mouth. "Mmmm!"

Len chokes a bit and glares at his sister. But he quickly smiles and says, "And you'll make a lesbian a very lucky man one day." He ducks at the flying knife heading towards his head.

"What'd you say?" Rin's fearsome glare makes me shrink back a bit, despite myself. Len seems to have noticed this and smirks.

"Looked what you did Rin. You're scaring Miku and ruining her first breakfast on Earth."

Rin's eyes soften and she looks at me.

"Oh, I'm sorry Miku! I didn't mean to scare you!" She looks at me with desperate eyes and apologizes.

I'm taken aback by her sudden apology, but I try to reassure her.

"No, it's okay. I wasn't scared. I'm just not used to you yet." I add "But I defiantly will be soon." I give her a confident look to show her that I mean it.

Rin is speechless for some time, but then smiles and wraps her arms around me.

"Thanks." She slowly pulls back looks at Len.

"I should've known not to fall for your bull."

Len simply shrugs and resumes eating. So does Rin. There is some kind of unknown tension between the two of them. I look back and forth from them. I don't like this. Them not fighting feels strange. I wish one of them would yell at the other like usual.

Nagi doesn't seem to notice the tension in the slightest. When she's finished eating, she lies on her back and makes a satisfied sound.

"Nyu~" she smiles happily and rubs her stomach. Her seemingly oblivious attitude seems to relive some tension. Rin looks at Nagi and wears a small smile.

"Awww, she is **so** cute!" Rin gushes at Nagi's actions. She tries to reach out to her, but Nagi evades her and lazily flies out of the dining room. However she bumps into something and falls.

"Ah!" I get up and run over to her. "Nagi? Nagi!"

Nagi groans and gets up. When I try to help her she pushes me aside and stubbornly walks out.

"Is she alright?" I look behind me and see Len and Rin watching the scene play out.

"I think she'll be fine."

Len scratches his head and says "What'd she even run into?"

"Oh. Uhm…" I look for the object Nagi ran into and find a frame. I pick it up and look it over. There seems to be an image of Len, Rin, Miss Lily and a man I've never seen. I hold it up and show it to them. Len takes it out my hand and he and Rin look at it.

"Oh it's just an old photo." Rin takes it out of Len's hand and shows it to me. "This is us about three years ago. And this man is our dad." She points to the man.

I take another look at the photo. Their father doesn't look a thing like them. They really do look like their mother. I then remember something I've neglected this whole time.

"Uhm, is your mother not here?" I slowly ask.

Len looks surprised by my question.

"Yeah, she left earlier this morning." He steps closer to me and crouches down. "Did you just notice that now?"

"W-well, yes, I did." I answer nervously. "Why did she leave so early?"

"Cause she had to work."

When I didn't respond to him, Len signed and continued to explain.

"She works super early for the first four days of the week the next two days she works later and she's off on Saturdays." He finishes his explanation as if I automatically understand. I nod and pretend to understand him.

He smiles, satisfied by my untrue answer.

"Alright. Now let's finish breakfast." He gets up and heads back to the dining room. Rin follows him. I look at Nagi resting on the couch and go back as well.

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. **

Len and Rin are trying their best to explain it, but I just can't wrap my head around it.

After we finished breakfast, I finally asked Len and Rin about that black box, or T.V., as I've been told. They're saying that it's some sort of device that can project images that have been taken or created in the past and seen by anyone who has the right connections. But I'm having difficulty imagining such a thing being possible. I can tell that they're losing their patience with me.

"It's really not that hard to understand. Just don't think about it so much and you'll com to accept it." Rin says this as cheerfully as she can. Len on the other hand isn't trying in the slightest.

"If you came to Earth in some kind of teleportation thing, then you shouldn't be having trouble with understanding a freakin' T.V.!" I flinch at his annoyed tone.

"I-i-it's not like that." My small voice is barely audibly to my own ears. "I had no idea whether or not it would actually work. If anything I was just lucky." I look down at the remote they gave me. I touched the channel up button and pressed it. The screen changed from the news to a sitcom. I continued to change the channel to various programs in various genres. I stop on a program that catches my eyes.

The colorful objects and abstract movements amaze me. There is even music playing in the background that somehow gets me… jumpy.

"What is this?" Looking to both Len and Rin, I point to the screen.

"That? That's a kid show." Rin rolls her eyes. "Only really little kids actually enjoy those kinds of shows." She then looks to me and says, "Wait, do you actually like that?"

I nod and turn back to the screen. The characters are speaking in rhythm to the music. There's even writing at the top of the screen. I only wish I could read it.

Before I know it, the alluring song pulls me and I have completely succumb to it. Rin gasped suddenly and both Len and I look at her.

"Oh I know! Miku this could actually be good for you!"

"Huh?" both Len and I say this.

"Well if you watch a kid's show like this, then you'll know the basics that most kids our age already know."

Now Len's the one gasping.

"Yeah, that could work!" he turns to me. "Miku since you don't know how to read or count, watching stuff like this could help you learn."

I'm stunned. I could learn to read? Even if it's just simple reading, I could actually look at words and understand their meaning? The thought had never occurred to me.

"Miku?" Len looks at me, waiting for an answer. I slowly nod and turn back to the T.V. One of the characters is cheerfully encouraging the audience to sing along.

"Okay everyone, let's sing the Alphabet Song!" Other characters join the character on the screen and they start singing.

_A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-LMNOP-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z, Now I know my ABCs, next time won't you sing with me! _

"Yay! That was so good you guys!" The main character turns to the audience. "Won't you sing with us this time?"

"Ugh!" Rin gets up and leaves, muttering "There's no way in hell I'm gonna sit through that."

"Come on everybody! Let's all sing together!" Now all of the characters are lined up, waiting. Are they expecting _me_ to sing? "Are you ready?"

Somehow, my mouth opens and a voice I don't recognize comes out.

_A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-LMNOP-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z, Now I know my ABCs, next time won't you sing with me!_

When the song ends, all the characters cheer and yell. I feel like cheering too. Maybe cheeriness rubs off on me. I smile and bring my fingertips to my lips. I couldn't believe that was my voice. It sounded nothing like me. It was clear and confident, completely unlike me. I look over to Len to ask him if he had heard that as well, that it wasn't my imagination.

But when I look to him, he's staring at me intently. Our eyes meet and he immediately turns away. He turned away? But…why? Did I do something wrong? Or maybe my singing was bad? I get a bit closer to him and try to look at his face.

"…Len?"

He laughs a little and puts up his hand.

"Uhm, yeah, could you wait a bit? I need to, uh, get myself together." Len takes a deep breath and slowly turns to me, wearing a shy smile. "You caught me off guard for a sec. Your singing is…really…pretty."

I'm so surprised by Len's comment that I can tell that my eyes are wide enough to cover my whole forehead. I shake my head slightly and look down.

"Was it really?" the question comes out quiet and hesitant.

"Yeah. Was it your first time singing?"

"Yes, I didn't even know singing was possible until recently." I pause for a moment then add, "I really like singing."

Len tilts his head so that I can look at him. He smiles and says, "Then you should do it more often."

I nod and look back to the program. I then think of something.

"Could I, uhm, could I sing…to you?" I look at him from the corner of my eye.

He continues to look at the T.V. For a moment, I think he didn't hear me. When I'm about to ask him again, he keeps his eyes glued to the T.V., smiles and says "Anytime."

His words give me a strange feeling. Like my heart was being wrapped in Rin's blanket and squeezed. And before I know it, I'm humming the Alphabet Song.

* * *

><p>Flora-sama: Oh Lord. Please tell me that my retarded friend didn't break into my room, hack into my account and post this.Σ( ° △ °|||)︴Why? I was planning on waiting a bit longer!<p>

This chapter has crossed into an uncharted territory for me. I'm just not used to writing cutesy, sweet stuff like this. Tbh, I was kinda embarrassed. I'm used to writing comedic material, so you can image how hard it was for me to put Len I that kind of situation. *SIGH* But what's done is done. Actually I'm a bit relieved she did it. Saved me a lot of regret.

So anyway, I PMed a couple of people who reviewed the last chapter and told them how grateful I was to them. Then I got an idea to give all my loyal reviewers a special present! The present, however will take some consideration. I've narrowed them down to two choices; a secret chapter of Solitary or a sneak peek of my new story. I have more info. on this in my profile, so check it out! Well thanks for bothering to read my story! Until next time!

À bientôt!


	7. The Mall, A Pervert & Kiyoteru Pt1

**Flora-sama**: Yeah I know it's been about a month since I last updated, but I recently got some advice to not rush my updates.(Thank you Ray-chan!) I promise that this chapter has little to no mistakes. But since I'm not perfect, if there are any major mistakes, please tell me so that I can correct them.

I've notice that whenever I write a chapter, I base Miku's everyday occurrences on my own real life events. Like the last chapter had to do with me meeting my old kindergarten teacher and a strange dream about pancakes.(O_o) The same goes for this chapter. I think I'll just do that, instead of having to imagine some made up situation. That way, I'll be able to focus on what could happen in that situation instead of what of what kind of situation would be good for this idea.(I know, my reasoning is lazy and make no sense)

Also I'm going to start naming my chapters, so look out for those because they just might hold hidden messages.=￣ω￣=

* * *

><p>"I'm home!" Miss Lily's voice rings through the house. Len and I look up to greet her.<p>

"Welcome home." When I see her I nod and direct my attention back to Len's cell phone. For the past hour, Len has been guiding me through his phone; showing me how to make calls, to text message, and to play the games he installed. I've gotten pretty good at one particular game that involves coin collecting and running. I'm just about to beat my high score when my avatar suddenly gets hit by something and flies off the screen.

"Waah!" I scream in horror. "What? Why?" I look to Len desperately.

"That'll happen to you if you don't always pay attention." He takes the phone, taps the screen, then hands it back to me. "Here, if it bothers you that much just start over again."

I take the phone back and look at the screen. Even though I find this game extremely frustrating, I can't help but to be drawn to it.

I was so invested in the game that I barely noticed Miss Lily sitting next to me, smiling. I pause the game to look at her. Our eyes meet and she chuckles.

"Sorry if I was staring, I was just thinking about how good you look." I look at her, not too sure about what she's talking about and she continues. "Well, what I'm trying to say is that you look a lot better now, than you did when I saw you yesterday." She reaches for her ponytail and lets her hair down. "I mean you looked like a porcelain doll, the way you were so pale and wide-eyed. But you've gotten some more color in your cheeks and you seem much more relaxed. Am I right Len?" Miss Lily looks at Len with that same strange expression she had on yesterday.

"Huh?" Len looks surprised by his mother's sudden mentioning of him. "Uhm…" his eyes dart form mother his to me and back to his mother. He looks at her and says, "I guess" and takes back his phone, his attention now on that.

I look at him. To be honest I was curious as to what Len had to say. I hadn't even noticed any change in how I looked. I recall all of the images of me form the mirror on Karoen and try to compare them to my reflection in Rin's mirror, but I can't seem to do it. When I think back to that moment, that strange vision comes rushing into my mind, faster and more distorted than the first time. My body shakes at the memory.

"Miku? Are you ok?" Miss Lily has her eyes on me. She reaches out to me and gently grabs my shoulder. "You're trembling."

I quickly get a hold of myself and give her a weak smile.

"Yes I'm fine. I'm just…" my sentence falls flat and I can't think of anything else to say. Miss Lily opens her mouth to probe, but, to my rescue, Rin appears before her. She stands before Miss Lily with her shoes on and a bag in hand.

"Mom can I borrow some money?"

"What? Why?"

"I need to go to the mall."

Miss Lily scoffs.

"Didn't you just go to the mall a week ago?"

"Well, yeah, but it's not for me this time." Rin quickly looks toward Len, whose hasn't even noticed Rin's presence, and continues. "It's for Miku."

Miss Lily looks confused. "Yeah and? What does Miku need at the mall?"

Rin fidgets and looks at Len again. He still seems completely oblivious to anything that's not his phone.

"Uhm, well, she needs some things."

"Oh? Like what?"

Rin starts playing with her hair, twisting and untwisting it. Is it just me or are Rin's cheeks changing color? They went from a light tan to a rosy pink. It reminds me of Big Sister's hair.

"W-w-well, she needs, uh-." The last part of her sentence is too quiet for me to hear.

Miss Lily probably didn't hear her very well either.

"Huh?"

Rin takes a deep breath and repeats herself in a rush.

"Miku needs to have her own underwear!"

The whole room seems to have frozen. Rin is looking directly at her mother, Miss Lily is staring at Rin, Nagi (who was napping in my lap) is now awake, and even Len is paying attention to what Rin is saying. Miss Lily shakes her head and regains her composure.

"What exactly are you trying to say? Can't she just use yours?"

"Yeah, that's the problem. They're too, uh…" once again Rin looks toward Len. This time he's looking straight at her, smirking. She clenches and unclenches her fists. I can see her eyebrow twitching.

"They're too sma-," Rin's last words were cut off by Len's laughter. His sudden howls surprise me and I look at him. He's bent over himself, clutching his stomach and taking in as many breaths as he can. Rin turns to him, cheeks inflamed.

"S-shut up! Shut up!" She comes over to him, grabs a pillow and starts hitting him with it. Even so, Len's laughter doesn't stop. This bit goes for some time until the twins run out of energy. Miss Lily clears her throat and reaches into a bag. She pulls out a pouch of some sort and hands Rin cut pieces cut paper.

"Fine, I guess I have no choice. She can't wear something too small and her going outside without underwear is defiantly out of the question." She pulls back a bit and adds, "Don't get anything too expensive."

"Yeah, yeah I know." Rin rolls her eyes. She snatches the papers, grabs me by the hand and starts pulling. "Come on Miku." She quickly turns around, but I can still see the pink on her cheeks. I get Nagi, put her on my shoulder and follow Rin.

We make our way out of the house when Len comes running after us.

"Hey wait! I'm coming with you!"

"Ugh, why? Coming to know Miku's sizes?" Rin gives him a disgusted look.

Len returns her the look and shows her his phone.

"No, I'm gonna to meet Kiyoteru. See, he texted me saying he wanted to hang out."

"Gross! You're gonna go see the pervert?"

"Yeah, well." Len shrugs and puts his phone back in his pocket.

My head is spinning. I am completely lost by what's being said. Mall? Underwear? Kiyoteru? Pervert? What's going on?

"Uh, uhm?" I stammer, looking to the twins desperately for an answer.

Rin, having noticed my distress, is the first to respond.

"Sorry for suddenly dragging you out like that. I guess I should've explained, huh?"

"Yes, please, that would be helpful." I resist the urge to sigh in relief.

We all start walking out of the woods surrounding their house. When we make our way out I am met with a brilliant light. The light makes it difficult to open my eyes. Once they adjust, I am able to see the large tree I slept next to on my first night. Looking at it in this new light makes me stop in awe. With the bright orb of light hiding behind the tree, it creates a silhouette that catches my breath. I get the urge to stay near it all day and just watch it. I want to see how it would look in a different light, in a different angle. Maybe, if I watched long enough, I would find some kind of secret. Something that it's hiding from me. Or, at least, that's the feeling I get from it.

"Miku?" I snap out of my trance and find Len and Rin looking at me questioningly. "You coming?"

"Oh, uh, yes, I'm sorry." I run up to the two of them and we continue walking.

"So like I was saying," Rin starts talking. I'm guessing from the way she's speaking, that she was previously saying something. "The mall is like this super store. You can basically buy any and everything from food, to cloths, to supplies for school or work, and all sorts of things."

I nod and to make it look like I've been paying attention to what she's been saying this time. I get the feeling that I had missed some important information earlier.

"Yes, so a mall is a 'super store'. Understood." I look up and ask, "Then what's Kiyoteru?"

"Blugh!" Rin gags and points to the inside of her mouth. Len laughs and answers for her.

"Kiyoteru is a person and he's kinda like my best friend."

"_And_ a major pervert!" Rin interjects.

"Oh yeah, he's a pervert too."

"Pervert?" Judging by Rin's use of it, 'pervert' must not be a good thing.

Rin jumps to answer me.

"A pervert is a horrible person who openly acts on their urges instead of their sense, if they even have any! And Kiyoteru is the most disgusting, despicable, idiotic pervert of them all!" Rin's body shakes with every word. Her face is red again, but this time it's a darker color and it covers her whole face, from ear to ear. Her eyebrows are furrowed and her teeth clenched.

I slowly move away from her, half expecting her to turn into some sort of red-faced beast and go on a rampage. But Len pats me on the head and grabs Rin's shoulder.

"Now, now, there's no reason to pop a blood vessel. Breath, breath." Len inhales and exhales and Rin mimics him. After calming down, Rin's face returns to normal and she seems to shrink.

"Why does Rin react like that whenever Kiyoteru is mentioned?" I whispered to Len.

Len stifles a chuckle, looks toward Rin and explains.

"'Bout a year ago Kiyoteru took a bunch of pictures of the girls changing after P.E. and Rin was one of them." He looks at Rin again and continues. "Some of the girls caught him though and beat the living crap out of him and deleted the all photos on his phone, but he already had some pictures saved to a cloud. And to make things even better, they were all of Rin! To this day he uses them against her in every way possible! It's _hilarious_!" As Len continued speaking, his voice got louder and louder to the point where he wasn't even trying to whisper anymore. Obviously, Rin heard him and was giving him a terrible glare.

"Shut. Up. Never. Speak. Of. It." Rin sounded like she was growling now, which only persuaded Len to continue, chocking back his laughter.

"This one time, Kiyoteru made Rin call him master for two whole weeks, and follow him around everywhere!" Len was getting giddier with every word.

"Len." Rin's threatening voice didn't stop Len from continuing.

"Oh and, one summer, he even made Rin—," Len is cut off by Rin's screaming protest.

"Ahhhh! Shut up, shut up!" she was pulling on his arm and hitting him repeatedly. This triggered off Len's uncontrollable laughter. He stopped in his tracks, fell to the ground and let loose. Rin groaned and tugged on my arm.

"Come on Miku, let's leave this idiot to have a good time by himself." We start walking away.

"N-no! Wait!" Len said this in between breaths, "I'm coming, just gotta catch my breath!" He's half-way up, when he suddenly falls back to the ground again, howling. "Pftttt-hahahaha! I can't do it! My stomach! It hurts so much! Ow!" He rolls on his side half moaning, half laughing.

Rin continues walking away from Len, completely ignoring him. I look back to him. He seems to have calmed enough to sit up, although he's still chuckling. He closes his eyes, tilts his head backwards and takes slow, deep breaths. I unconsciously stop and cause Rin to stop with me. Len gets up and steadies himself. He makes his way toward us. He looks at Rin and grins sheepishly.

"Sorry," was all he said. Rin simply looked at him, not saying anything. Then she huffed and kept walking.

I look at Rin's retreating figure. Was she angry? Or maybe she just had nothing else to say. I could never figure out Rin's mood. She could be happy one moment, mad another, and just have a barrage of unreadable emotions the next. I was fairly certain that this wasn't a family trait because both Len and Miss Lily had a very limited range of emotions. She must have developed those traits on her own.

"Is she angry?" I ask Len.

"Mmm…naw I doubt it. If anything, she's just sulking." He takes a few steps ahead of me and says, "If you still want to go to mall, you'd better catch up."

"Oh, ah, okay." Len I and run up to Rin and we walk to the mall together.

* * *

><p><span><strong>Flora-sama<strong>: Yup, there's gonna be new characters to introduce. Just like introducing Rin and Lily, I'll have just as much(if not more) fun with the ones coming up. *^▁^*

Okay, so I've noticed that not many people actually read these authors notes, so I might be wasting my time, but I've got to really push the loyal reviewers reward. So far I only have 2 pledge to me that they are loyal reviewers, which warms my heart, but I need more. I won't waste my time trying to explain what to do here so please, please: **GO TO MY PROFILE! **There's so much more info there and even if you have questions you could just PM me. I promise I'll respond to you, so don't make an excuse saying that I won't answer back.

Well that's enough of my PMSing. I'll be going to bed now.

Bye-bye duckies! ヽ(^。^)ノ


	8. The Mall, A Pervert & Kiyoteru Pt2

**Flora-sama:** F-finally...I'm finally back...How long has it been since I last updated? 4, 5 months? My God. All I can think of saying is sorry.

First of all, I'd like to wish everyone a very, very, very late Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Valentine's Day!3 3

After I last updated, my house was bombarded with family, coming in and out for like 3 months. I spent all of this month trying to actually type this story and I've finally finished. And to make things better, I only have 3 months until school ends! Yay! But before that can happen, I have finals. Yay!...;_;

Well I'm semi-positive that I won't have anymore guests until summer, so maybe I'll actually get to the good part of this story before then! For the next few chapters, I'm gonna try to put in as little filler content as possible. And I promise, it shall not be boring!(I hope...) Until the juicy parts, enjoy this chapter.

Warning: I'm sorry, I kinda rushed this chapter. I really wanted to post it before the end of February so it may be a bit(or a lot) sucky.

* * *

><p>For the past few minutes, having listened to Len and Rin's helpful commentary of the surrounding area, I've been gazing at the large fields filled with cattle, crops, and poultry. I can't help but be reminded of the woods surrounding their home. There's a distinctive aroma every time the wind blows, the plant life is abundant, and the calming aura dispels all doubts that had pledged my mind. This feeling and this place just seem too unreal. Well regardless of whether I'm dreaming or not, I want to enjoy this to the best of my ability.<p>

I look to Len and Rin. They seem to be having a decent conversation about something. Just a few minutes ago, they had been at each other's throats and now look at them, interacting with each other as if nothing happened. I guess this isn't such a bad thing. I mean, having them get over every argument so quickly makes things less uncomfortable for me. I couldn't handle the tension.

"Nyu~." I feel Nagi fidget in the handbag on my waist. Earlier, Rin had given it to me so that I could bring Nagi to the mall and not have her seen. I was thankful for this because neither Len nor I have thought of something like that.

But the moment I put Nagi in that bag, she immediately resisted. She would thrash and whine and struggle out of it. After a bit of persuading, however, she finally calmed down enough to stay in one place. Now she only peaks her head through the opening to make a pleading sound like now.

I give her an apologetic look and pat her head.

"I'm sorry, but we don't have any other options. I promise the second we're finished, you can fly around as much as you want." She hesitates a bit, but eventually puts her head back inside of the handbag. I feel kind of sorry for Nagi. Having always been able to go wherever she wants up until now, she must be feeling uncomfortable, being in a small place like that. The only thing keeping me from taking her out is the possibility that she might be seen by someone. Judging from everyone's reactions so far, I take it that seeing something like Nagi is very strange. Well, that's to be expected. If a strange creature was seen in a crowd of humans, a surprised reaction would be the most appropriate.

Now that I think about it, wouldn't humans find me strange? I already know that I don't look like a typical human, so that wouldn't mean that I could be figured out too?

"Uh, wait," the words unknowingly leave my mouth. Len and Rin stop talking and face me.

"What about…my appearance?" I can feel my nervousness creeping up on me again. But unlike the other times, where it was sudden and short lived, this one was different. There was a lingering sour taste in the back of my throat. I coughed a little, but that only seemed to make it worse. I kept my mouth tightly shut, fearing that if I opened it, I would gag. However, despite my worrying, Len and Rin share the same nonchalant expression.

"Yeah, what about it?" says Rin.

I swallow hard and push the urge to vomit away.

"Well, isn't it different from humans? What happens if someone asks about me?"

"We'll do the same thing we've been doing with mom; lie through our teeth." Len gives a quick answer. "If anyone asks about your hair, we'll just say you dyed it. And if they ask about your eyes, we can say that you wear color contacts. Simple." He finishes with an easy-going smile.

I take a deep breath and nod. That sour taste in the back of my throat lingers for some time, but eventually subsides. We continue walking along the dirt road. This time, I walk a little more eagerly.

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.**

"W-wow." I am completely surrounded by a flock of humans all around me. In every direction there is a human doing something different from the other. Some are in groups, some are by themselves, some are on their phones, some are sitting on the corner holding up signs and some are doing I don't know what. They all seem to be going at great speeds, including Len and Rin. They maneuver to and from anything in their way with ease I struggle to keep up with. This both amazes and terrifies me at the same time. It's amazing how swift they can be, but it's also terrifying because no matter what I try, I'm they seem to getting farther and farther away.

Just then, I feel something jab my back. Startled, I turn around sharply and surprise the man behind me. He holds up his hands.

"Woah, sorry about that. I didn't mean to bump into you like that." He stops speaking and looks at me. His wide eyes squint and he leans in closer to me. I back away slightly. I still have my suspicions of humans. "Man, I didn't mean to scare you that bad. If you like, I could make it up to you." He continues to step closer to me.

"Uh, I'm sorry, but I was looking for some-," I look around hoping to see Len or Rin but to no prevail.

"Oh? Do you mean your boyfriend?"

"N-no. My friends." I can feel him approaching faster now.

"Well do you see them anywhere?" Before I can answer, he has already grabbed my arm and stared tugging on it. "If not, then I could keep you company."

"Wait, I…" This is scary. There's something about him that unsettles me. He's too persistent. I can't get him to go away no matter what I say.

"Come on, it's not like you're doing anything else, so—,"

In that instance, I feel something wrap around my shoulders. A familiar voice rings through my ear.

"Sorry, but she's kinda busy right now. Why don't you try picking up some other poor girl?" I look up and see Len standing next to me, removing the man's hand from my arm.

He looks just as surprised as I feel.

"Wh-," Len has already interrupted him.

"I don't think you should still be standing here. If I were you, I'd start running like hell." Len's usual light, carefree tone has turned into an unfamiliar serious one.

The man clenches his teeth, mutters something, and walks away. Len grabs my hand and we go off in the other direction. The whole time Len doesn't look or speak to me. Is he angry? Because I got lost? Or is it because of what just happened? Either way, I don't like having him ignore me like this.

"Uhm, I, I'm sorry!" I stop abruptly and look to the ground. For some time, Len doesn't answer me and that makes me feel worse. I gather up enough courage to look up at through my bangs. To my surprise, Len looks absolutely stunned.

"Wait, what? Why are you sorry?"

"B-because I got left behind and I…made you angry," the last part came out very quietly.

Len's silent for a moment, then he shakes his head slowly.

"It's alright, it's not your fault. Me and Rin just didn't think about how you aren't used to crowds. We should've paid more attention to you." Len looked to the side.

"Then…you aren't angry?" I try to look him in the eye, but he seems to be avoiding my gaze.

"Well, yeah, I'm mad." He quickly added, "But not at you."

"Huh?"

"I just…" He raked his fingers through his hair and sighed. He quickly changed the subject. "Look, we gotta get going. Rin's waiting for us in the parking lot."

Before I have time to react, Len has already grabbed my hand and started dragging me through the crowd. I try to think of a way to ask him what he was going to say, but instead stay silent and allow him to guide me.

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.**

"Ugh, finally! Were have you been?" the second Rin spots Len and I she immediately starts fuming. "God, I was starting to think that you got lost or something."

"I'm sorry that I caused you trouble." I apologize to Rin. However, she looks at me the same way Len had earlier.

"Huh? What for?" She steps closer to me and looks me in the eye. "I mean it's not like you did anything wrong, right? I thought we already had this discussion. You need to stop being so distant." She points her finger at me.

"Distant?" I repeated.

"Yeah, distant. Normal people don't act all reserved and conservative around their friends. It's pretty hurtful y'know." Rin pouts.

"Ah, I'm so-," I cut myself off and say, "Yes, I'll try not to be so…distant."

Rin's pout turns into a bright smile.

"Hmph. That's what I like to hear." She turns to Len. "So Lenny, are we still meeting him at the fountain?" They start walking off and I follow them into the large building in front of us.

When we enter, a gust of cold air hits me, me to shiver slightly. The inside of the mall is just as busy as the streets. People everywhere, doing multiple things and yet, somehow, they all avoid major contact with one another. Some are going in and out of stores, while others are doing their own things.

I jerk my head to the front of me and let out a breath of relief when I still see Len and Rin's backs. I slightly quicken my speed and stay close to them. Looking around was what got me lost last time.

Suddenly, the two of them stop and bump into them.

"We're here." Len holds his finger in front of him. In that direction, water is squirting out of some kind of structure. I'm guessing that this is the fountain.

"Look, there's Kiyoteru." He turns me to another direction.

Standing next to the fountain is a boy who looks to be around Len and Rin's age. He has brown hair and glasses hanging from his nose. He holds his phone with a bored expression and looks around.

Rin suddenly gasps.

"Thank God! Meiko's with him too!"

I look at the person next to Kiyoteru. It's a girl with very short reddish-brown hair. She's a little taller than everyone else, so she must be older.

Rin runs up to the girl, yelling her name.

"Meiko! Meiko!"

Meiko and Kiyoteru turn to Rin. They both smile and wave to her.

"Hey Rin," they say this together, but Rin only responds to Meiko.

"I didn't know you were coming too Meiko."

"Well, when I heard Kiyo was going to meet you two here, I thought it would be best if I tagged along too."

"Thank God you did!"

"Uhm, hello," Kiyoteru waves his hand in front of Rin's face, "I don't mean to interrupt you reunion, but I'm here too."

Rin turns her back completely to him and continues speaking only to Meiko.

"Oh, there's someone I want you to meet. Wait right here." She leaves a smiling Meiko and a gaping Kiyoteru and comes over to Len and I.

"Come on, Miku," she grabs me and brings me over to them. Len follows at his own pace.

"Uh, uhm," I stutter, completely flustered by her suddenness.

"It's alright. Meiko's pretty cool. I know you'll like her," Len whispers encouragingly. But that doesn't make me feel any less nervous. I look towards Meiko and Kiyoteru. They both seem to be staring at me curiously. I swallow hard.

When we reach them, Rin stands by my side and introduces me.

"This is Miku Hatsune. She's our parents' friends' niece and she's got some family issues that need to be worked out. So for the time being, she'll be our houseguest." She pushes me foward. "Go on Miku, say hi."

"Oh," I'm stumble to find the right greeting and manage to say, "It's nice to meet you."

Meiko is the first to greet me back.

"Hi. I'm Meiko." She steps a bit closer and stares me down.

"Eh, uhm…," I stutter.

"Wow!" Her eyes grow bright and she gasps. "Your hair is so pretty! Can I feel?" For a moment, I think she's pointing to me, but then realize that she means my hair.

"Yes," I say hesitantly.

She reaches out and runs her fingers though my hair.

"Oh my God, it's so smooth! What kind of shampoo do you use?" Before I can come up with an answer, she's already stroking my hair, gushing. "I would so kill to have hair like this. And you dyed it so well, too." She pauses for a bit and slowly says, "It almost looks real."

"Uh, anyway Meiko," Len abruptly comes in between us, "don't you have to go shopping with Rin and Miku?"

"Oh, that's right," says Meiko. She turns to Rin and asks, "So where are we heading?"

"Well we have to get some clothes for Miku, since she doesn't have any of her own," she starts walking off as she says this. "And she needs some other things too, so we'll be wandering for awhile."

"Okay," Meiko walks next to her and I follow behind. "Do you know what kind of clothes you want?"

"Uhm, anything is fine," I say.

"Really? You don't want a certain brand or style?"

"No, I'm fine with anything, really." My attempts to persuade Meiko seem to work because she shrugs and starts talking to Rin. I use this time to take in my surroundings. Rin was right about there being many different types of stores. Some have clothes in their windows, some have toys, and the rest have all sorts of items that I couldn't identify. I wish I could go off on my own and explore them, but I didn't dare to, for my fear of getting lost in an enormous place like this.

But despite that, I like the mall. It must be because to the lack of crowds here. Even though there are a lot of people here, most of them seem to be in the stores shopping. The ones walking down the corridor keep to themselves and stay on separate sides. Even so, I keep close to Rin and Meiko.

They walk into one of the stores. This store is very…pink. The walls, clothing and even decorations were colored in variations of pink. We head deeper into the store until we enter a section with a sign labeled, "Lingerie". It's filled with what I assume to be clothing, but hardly lives up to the name.

Meiko and Rin walk up to a rack and pick different pieces of underwear. They hold it up to my chest and waist and hum.

"This is one's pretty cute. If they had it in a different color, like blue or pink, it'd be perfect." Meiko says this while holding up a black top and bottom.

"Well I think something white would suit Miku best," Rin holds up a white pair. "Besides, it's not like we need to get her anything sexy. She definitely won't need that."

"Hmm, are you sure?" Meiko raises one brow.

"Positive."

"You never know." Meiko shrugs and goes back to browsing the racks. "She's living with you and Len, right? Well, what if a certain somebody just so happens to accidentally walk in on Miku changing? One thing will lead to another and before you know it-,"

"Ugh! Stop it already. You're staring to sound like Kiyoteru." Rin rolls her eyes in disgust.

Meiko just laughs and waves her hand.

"Sorry, sorry, I was getting carried away. Y'know, Kiyo would be heart broken if he heard you right now."

"You think I give a damn about him?" Rin snorted and changed the subject. She turned to me.

"Which one do you prefer?"

"Huh?"

"Which one do you like better? The white one or the black one?" She holds both in her hands and shows them to me.

"Uh…Does it matter?"

"Yes, it does." Both Meiko and Rin say this at the same time.

"Oh," I look back and forth between each pair and make my decision. "The white one…,"

"Ha, I knew it!" Rin pumps her fist in the air and tosses the black pair to Meiko.

"Aw, but this one's so cute." Meiko rolls her head back and sighs. She puts back the black pair and asks me, "So what size are you?"

"S-size?" I ask.

"Yeah, like your cup size and waist." When I didn't respond she added. "Y'know, your measurements."

"Oh," I didn't know I needed measurements. "Well can't I just try it on and get a different size if it doesn't fit."

"No way," Meiko sharply turns and faces me. "Haven't you ever been underwear shopping before? You need to know your exact size so that you can get before anyone else get it."

I'm left speechless. I can't think of what to say. I look towards Rin and she shrugs, helplessly. I really haven't done any underwear shopping before. There was never a need for it, since all of my clothes were provided by Big Sister and she never gave me any. This gives me an idea.

"Uhm, well, I never really kept track of my measurements. There was always someone who would take care of that for me."

For some time, Meiko stares at me. Her unmoving gaze has me worried. Was I not convincing enough? What if she sees lie and starts questioning me further?

But, to my surprise, she nods her head and says, "Oh, so you're kinda like a rich girl."

"What?" Rin and I ask, both confused.

"You said you had someone take care of that kind of stuff for you before right? Well doesn't that mean that you're some kind of rich girl? I mean, what kind of fourteen year old girl doesn't buy her own underwear, other that a rich one?" She finishes this with a confident smile as if confirming her answer. Rin and I gap at her, but Rin quickly regains herself.

"Y-yeah!" She laughs nervously. "I guess you figured it out."

"Hmph, I knew you were hiding something." She turns to me. "I guess that explains why you seem so out of place. But don't worry," she wraps her arm around my shoulder and says, "whatever your situation is, I won't pry. Just don't be too secretive, okay?"

Not knowing what to say, I nod. Looking satisfied, Meiko pats my head and hands me the underwear.

"Good girl, now go in the dressing room and we'll get a worker to get your measurements."

I follow her instructions and wait in the dressing room. Just now, when she patted my head, Meiko reminded me of something. I couldn't put my finger on it, but her attitude and composure gave me a sense of normality. I don't know, maybe I'm just over thinking things.

My thoughts are interrupted by knocks on my door and a woman's voice.

"Excuse me, miss, are you ready to have your measurements taken?"

"Yes, I am," I answer back. As she enters the room, I cast aside any uncertain thoughts. I don't want to let myself get carried away by my worries. I should just try to enjoy myself.

**.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.**

"It's about damn time!" We are greeted by Len furious glare. Once I had gotten my measurements and bought my new underwear; Rin, Meiko and I had done some window shopping. We went to almost all of the stores on the first floor, got some food from concessions stands, and even sat at the fountain and talked for a while. Even though I didn't say much, I really did enjoy myself. Getting to explore an unknown area was thrilling in its own way. Meiko and Rin kept close and explained anything I had questions about in full detail, which was very helpful. I even snuck Nagi a snack. Before we knew it, the afternoon had turned into evening.

"Who the hell spends three hours shopping?" Len was still fuming.

"For you information, it took us thirty minutes to shop, we spent the rest of the time hanging out." Rin crosses her arms.

As the two of them broke out into a fight, Meiko and I were left to watch. She laughs and I smile. I don't know what it is about them fighting, but it always brightens one's mood.

"Okay, okay, that's enough. Let's start heading home," Meiko says after clearing her throat.

Len and Rin stopped arguing, but continued to glare at each other. We made our way out of the mall and headed toward Len and Rin's house. I stayed in the back, listening to Len tell Rin and Meiko about what he and Kiyoteru did while we were shopping. Apparently, the boys didn't do very much at the mall. The way he described it, it sounded as if he had the most heart-wrenchingly boring time of his life. Other than walking and talking (which they didn't do much of), they spent the whole waiting for us. In all honesty, I feel kind of bad for taking so long even if I had no say in the matter. I never even thought about what the two of them were doing; let alone what they were feeling.

Suddenly, I feel someone's hand tap my shoulder. Thinking it's a man similar to the one this afternoon, I turn around sharply, ready to call for help. But instead of a man like I expected, I was faced with a wide-eyed Kiyoteru. He quickly raises his hands.

"Woah, calm down now, I'm not a kidnapper or anything."

"Ah," I relax a little, but then tense up again. I remember how much distain Rin had toward Kiyoteru and avoid his gaze. "Sorry." I try to walk away, but he puts his hand firmly on my shoulder and stops me. I keep my gaze to the ground and hope that he let's go soon.

He doesn't instead he strengthens his grip. I finally look at him only to meet his serious gaze. I reluctantly relax and he lets go. We stand there for a while, not saying anything. The first one to break the silence was Kiyoteru.

"Uhm," he looks off to the side and tucks his hands in his pockets. "I might be wrong, but did Rin say something to you? About me?"

I'm thrown off by his question. Was it obvious that I feel uncomfortable around him?

_Yes, Rin did say something about you_, I think. _She went on and on about how horrid you were to her, so of course I'd be a bit careful around you__._ But I don't say any of this. Instead, I slowly nod my head.

He sighs and slumps his shoulders.

"Of course she would," he pushes his glasses up his nose and says nothing. This leaves an uncomfortable silence that I want to break but don't know how. I look behind me to see the others not too far off and release a small breath of relief. But he must have heard me, because he meets my gaze, then looks away.

Having realized how rude my actions were, I try to apologize, but Kiyoteru's hand stops me.

"It's alright, I already know she hates me. I don't blame her. I did some pretty crappy stuff to her before." Kiyoteru chuckles bitterly. "Anyway, I just wanted to…get to talk with you. At least once." He walks ahead of me in a hurry.

Seeing him as he is now, I can't bring myself to dislike him at all. He doesn't seem like a bad person at all. In fact, he seems just as nice as Len.

And before I can stop myself, I'm reaching out to Kiyoteru.

"W-wait!" I pull on his sleeve and force him backwards. "I-I would like to as well," I blurt out.

"Huh?" Kiyoteru looked completely bewildered. I try to clarify myself.

"I would like that too. To be able to talk to you, I mean," I say, looking straight at him. "You seem…nice, so I'd like to talk to you again."

Kiyoteru gapes at me. Soon he gets a hold of himself and tries to say something, but is interrupted by someone calling out to us.

"Hey, Miku, Kiyo! What are you guys doing over there?"

I scan the area in which the voice came from and see Meiko waving her hand erratically. Kiyoteru sees her too and makes his way over to her.

"We weren't doing anything, you guys just went too far ahead so we got left behind." He stops mid-step, then turns to me. He gives me a small smile, waves his hands, says, "See ya later," then joins Meiko. Rin and Len are not too far behind.

"What're you doing, Miku? We gotta go home," says Len. Next to him, Rin is quietly waiting for us to leave. I nod and fall in between the two. When we make it out of the city and back into the fields, Rin finally speaks to me.

"So," she starts off, slowly, "what did Kiyoteru say to you?"

"Ah…," I say awkwardly. I wasn't expecting this. Was she watching us? "He was just telling me that he wanted be able to talk to me a little more next time we meet," I say, deciding telling the truth was the best thing to do. "B-but that's all! He just wanted to properly establish that," I add quickly, seeing Rin's eyebrows furrow.

She stays silent, looking me over. She doesn't look convinced in the slightest. When I think she counter my response with denial, Len interrupts.

He pats me on the head and smiles brightly.

"That's great. You've already made two friends. You'll start living a normal life in no time. Right, Rin?" He turns to Rin, his smile continuing despite Rin's glare. Eventually, though, she drops her frown and sighs.

"Yeah, I guess. Just be careful alright." She continues down the path, not making any sign of turning back to us.

Len chuckles.

"Looks like I saved you once again." He ruffles my hair a bit. "Is this gonna become a regular thing with you?"

"Oh. I-," I stop myself mid-apology and grin. "I hope not." This causes another laugh from Len.

"It's fine, it's fine." He uses his other hand to brush the air. "To be honest, playing the hero is kinda fun. But you seriously need to learn to lie or at least stand up for yourself. I won't always be around to help you."

I nod. He softens his smile and slowly removes his hand on my head, leaving the spot where it once was strangely cold. The two of us catch up to Rin. Len and Rin start talking about something Rin had seen in the mall earlier, but I hardly pay attention to any details. My mind is preoccupied with today's events and what I should do to correct my mistakes next time.

Making sure I don't lose my pace with Len and Rin, I increase my speed and think about the strange man, the mall, and my new underwear. But the things that on my mind the most are the friends I've made and the warmth from Len's hand.

* * *

><p><span><strong>Flora-sama:<strong> Is anyone even still reading? God, I don't feel very confident in this chapter at all. I can't wait to post the next one though. Now that'll be good.

Does anyone remember that poll I was doing once upon a time? About what I should do for my reviewers? Well I sure didn't remember! I completely forgot all about it. But I did recently look at the results and it looks like I'll be doing a secret chapter of _Solitary_! Great, I was hoping for this. I'll get to work on it immediately. At this moment, it's most likely to be posted before the next official chapter of _Solitary_, but who knows? I definitly don't. Just pray that I have it posted before March ends, because I will.

Well until next time.

Bye-bye duckies! ヽ(^。^)ノ


	9. Undesired Worries

**Flora-sama:** Hello everyone~! I have risen once more and this time I'm doing something...different. This is not an official chapter. This is a secret chapter that contributes to the story, but doesn't involve any of the characters we've come to know. I wanted to give a sort of a gift for all of the wonderful people who still read my story even though I'm terrible at updating. TuT

Well, thanks to my senpai Ray-chan for proofreading, this _half_ chapter should make up for the last one. Please enjoy!

* * *

><p><em>For as long as I've lived, my home and my people have been the most important things to me. I would do anything to ensure their safety and wellbeing. Even if it means doing unspeakable things. Even if it means selling my soul. Even if it means hurting the one I've protected for so long.<em>

It's over. Another imperfect specimen has fallen and destroyed itself.

Within a small experimentation unit, my colleagues and I watch from the other side of the glass window. We had just witnessed a familiar sight: the self-destruction of an experiment gone wrong. Everyone in the room is not surprised by the results in the slightest. In fact, this is exactly what we were expecting. I honestly don't know why we come here every time just to watch one of them loses the tiny grip of reality they had. It's happen so many times, there's only a 0.0002% chance of actual success.

"Alright, that's one down," says the senior of my department, Gumi. She points to several of the lower ranked workers. "You all, clean up the mess and continue to watch the rest." She turns to me. "Luka, come with me."

I do as I'm told and follow her out of the room. We make our way towards the end of the hall. She takes out a pen and writes on the clipboard in her hand.

"So," she starts off, "how has number 9G-527—"

"Miku," I correct.

"Yes," she says carefully, "Miku. How has it been fairing?"

I straighten my posture and answer her with enough respect to make up for my interruption earlier.

"Ma'am, Miku has been in a state of utmost health. Her diet is sufficient, she rests properly, and she has shown no signs of deterioration."

She had been writing everything I've said down without looking at me.

"Mm. What about its awareness? Is it questioning anything?"

"She is as self-aware as needed. She understands simple tasks and can comply to them normally, but there is no sign of her actually knowing about what's going on around her. As for her…contradictions, nothing is too out of the ordinary."

"I see. What of its treatments?"

Without thinking, I assume she means how Miku feels about the treatments, so I say, "She doesn't take them well." However, this was my mistake.

"What I meant was; are they taking full effect?"

"Ah," Embarrassed, I clear my throat and try again. "There's been no change in anything. Her heart rate, along with her mental and physical state, is normal. As of yesterday, at 15:35, her current condition is completely stable."

Gumi writes something down again.

"When was the last time you checked up on it?"

"At 19:45, the same time as always, ma'am. At that time she hadn't regained consciousness, as usual. I assume that she should be waking up very soon."

She writes the rest of my words down then pauses. For a moment, I think she's going to ask me something else, but she ends up clicking her pen and turning to face me.

"As always Luka, you are extremely punctual. Especially when it comes to _it_."

I assume she means Miku, but judging from her flat and careful tone, I ignore her mentioning.

"But of course. I take my job very seriously. There's not a second I live without thinking of our cause," I finish with a little bow.

"Yes, I can tell. Out of everyone here, you take the most pride in your work. Even the higher ups are impressed by your dedication." She pauses and looks me over. "It's a shame really. You would've made such a wonderful head supervisor."

My body freezes. Even though she compliments me, I can't help but feel some kind of coldness from that statement. Kind of like…resentment. Or something along those lines. This always happens.

I quickly regain myself before she can catch on to my sudden weakness. I give a polite smile.

"You flatter me too much, ma'am. I'm merely just head-strong about the matter."

Gumi returns the smile.

"That may be true, but in this line of work, being head-strong is everything. But not only are you that, your intelligence rivals even those in the research department." When I don't respond to her, she drops her fake smile. She tilts her head to the side, letting some of her short, green hair fall to her eyes. "Luka, I'll be frank. Why don't you accept your promotion? It's been on the table for years now and you still reject it. You could do so much more if you only took hold of this opportunity. The Head even said that he would hold the position just for you. Why won't you accept it?"

I was prepared for this type of interrogation.

"There is just no need. I can help out and carry out tasks of any kind in my current position now."

"You know that's not what I mean."

"Oh? Then what could you mean?"

"There's no point to it, being _its_ caretaker."

"I am merely carrying out my job to the fullest. No less."

"You're wasting your talents."

"I'm performing the task to the best of its ability. If it were someone else, I'm sure they would never take into consideration of how important this is."

She scoffs and rolls her eyes.

"Oh please, we all know that's just your excuse."

"Excuse me? What do you mean?" I feign innocence.

"The only reason you've stayed in your current position for so long is because of _it_."

I clench my teeth. _Calm down. You won't gain anything from backlashing. That's just what she expects_. I take a deep breath internally and look Gumi in the eye.

"Yes, that's part of the reason. After so many years of service, I doubt anyone could compare to me. If I were to leave now, who knows what could happen. There might be a miscalculation or misinterpretation concerning Miku, and then where will we be? If you need me to perform any extra assignments, then I'd be glad to take care of them, but I am the only one who can do this and you know it. I am the only one _she_ trusts."

I walk past her briskly without another word. If she said something to me, I didn't hear it; I was too busy trying to get my mind straight.

How dare she just bring up that topic all of a sudden! Especially considering how personal it is! But I suppose I should be used to this kind of occurrence by now; it only happens every time I speak to a superior. They always try to persuade me into leaving my current position and to take my promotion. To tell the truth, it's not like I haven't thought about it. The promotion offers many incentives, including working directly alongside the Head. He even said he'd hold the position for me the first time I rejected. He must expect me to change my mind. Even though he was generous enough to do such a thing for me, I've already made up my mind on the matter. And there's nothing anyone can do or say to change my mind.

I make my way down the hall to the nutrition center. I need to serve Miku breakfast in five minutes in order to stay on schedule. When I enter, the team of nutritionists already has Miku's breakfast ready for me.

"You're late, Luka," says the one holding the tray.

"Yes, I am well aware. I was preoccupied with other business."

"Well you'd better hurry," says another holding a clipboard, "you're three minutes behind schedule. Who knows what could happen if it's fed off schedule."

"Yes I'll hurry so that _she_ can be fed on time." I take the tray and make my way out. "I'll be back with any information regarding abnormalities."

On my way to Miku's room I take a look at her breakfast and nearly retch. Colorless, tasteless mush with the exact amount of vitamins needed for prompt health and nutrition. The poor thing can never experience the luxury of the simplest of foods. Or at least that's how it's supposed to be. I pat my coat pocket and feel the leek I snuck in. This should definitely brighten Miku's day. Food has always seemed to brighten her mood. I look down into my pocket.

"Regardless of how…peculiar the taste is," I mumble. Oh well, what she finds delicious is irrelevant. I should think of a topic to talk to her about. Maybe…Earth? No, no, I should avoid that topic by all means. If she gets too curious, that could lead to trouble. For the both of us. A safer topic like weather should be acceptable, no? All she does is look out her window all day, perhaps she found something interesting today. Perhaps a misshapen cloud or a precipitation? I could even comb her hair while we talk. Such long hair needs to be maintained.

I stop myself before nearly bumping in to door leading into corridor 0-M. I can't believe I was so caught up in my thoughts, that I didn't even notice that I had made it this far. Thankfully, no one is here to see this. I reach into my other pocket and pull out my personal key card. After having it scanned, I confirm its use with my voice. The door unlocks and opens for me. I'm met with a gust a chilled air in my face and the scent of strong disinfectant.

Regaining my pace, I hurry down the corridor in order to give Miku her breakfast on time. One minute late, and who knows what would happen.

I zoom past the examination room and some of the shipment areas until I find myself in front of a big, heavy steel door labeled 9G-527. Before opening it, I look around. A whole section of our entire building, closed off just for one child. As if she was in danger or something. Keeping her closed off from everything is one thing, but total isolation…

No Luka, get a hold of yourself. Feeling sentimental will get you nowhere. Besides, this is for the best. For Miku, for us, for our planet-everyone. Just do your job and get it over with. It's for the best.

After giving myself the same prep talk I do every day, I feel a little better. A _little_. I take a deep breath and prepare my usual bright smile for Miku. This is the least I could do for now.

As I reach for the door, I notice something strange.

"H-huh…It's unlocked?" I gasp. No. No way. This is not happening. I can't bring myself to open the door so I knock and call out to her.

"Miku~! It's me. I have your breakfast!" I waited. "I even brought you your favorite," I say, hoping she comes running towards the door. But all I get is silence.

Oh please tell me this isn't happening.

"Miku!" I burst through the door, dropping the tray of gray slush. I'm met with an empty, gray room.

I can't breathe. I want to close my eyes and see Miku when I open them, but I know that's not likely. My vision is blurry and my throat is dry. I feel like the walls are closing in on me.

She's not here. She's not here!

I immediately turn around. I don't understand! How did she manage to escape! That's impossible. It has to be! _No, calm down Luka. Think rationally. She only had one way to go if she left this room._ I look to my right. She couldn't have left the facility if she did manage to leave her room, so she's somewhere in this corridor. And this corridor is a one way path to…She couldn't have, right?

I don't take any chances and race down the corridor. This must be some mistake. Rarely anyone comes here so if she's in this hall then it would make sense that she hasn't been found yet. Yes, that must be it! She must be somewhere here, lost and confused. As soon as I find her, I bring her back and we'll forget this whole incident.

I make it to the massive dual lock door out of breathe. I take out my key card and unlock it. Then I use the retina scan to verify that it's me. I pry the doors open before they could automatically. I race over the gigantic machine in front of me and punch in commands to see the last time it was used. There was a scheduled visit yesterday at exactly 23:50. A minute later would confirm my worries, but I pray I'm wrong. Oh please let me be wrong.

The loading time seemed to take an eternity. My palms sweat, my heart racing, my knees weak; I don't know if I can handle what I'm about to see.

Finally, the results pop up, one line at a time. Everything froze and I could feel my heart beat in my ears. Then my heart sank. I fell to my knees and hold my stomach to keep from vomiting.

The machine was activated yesterday on time as expected. And once again 3 minutes and 43 seconds later.

* * *

><p><strong>Flora-sama:<strong> Ah~, I see you're still reading~. What did you think? Was it surprising? I bet so. Well this is probably the last _half_ chapter I'll have for this story (maybe), so I hope you enjoyed it. Tell me what you guys thought about it, I'm dying to know.

P.S. As of this chapter, things get real.


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